In the space of a former coal mine, later used as a bunker, we will work with the memory of carrying burdens and the practice of laying them down. The song of the haulers and the song of firedamp will be heard.
The event combines performance and workshop, and takes place as part of the Border Situations exhibition. In its first part, it offers positions of spectatorship, while in the second part it opens up the possibility of participation. Through various artistic practices, we will explore the experience of carrying burdens together as a group. We will also ask: Where have we exceeded our capacity to endure, and what is it that we should no longer have to bear?
Dorottya Szonja Koltay graduated in 2020 from the painting and graphic arts program of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. Her works are characterized by an interdisciplinary approach and a diversity of media. She regularly works in independent and repertory theatre productions; the experiences gained there also appear in her work with installation and spatial design, as well as in her use of performative and community-based theatre methods.
Starting from a personal perspective, she examines the workings of collective memory and intergenerational narratives, with a particular focus on vulnerability, the phenomenon of aggression, and absurdity. Her works are characterized by the use of participatory performative methods and the presence of collective creation. Since 2024, she has been organizing public-space performances with the collective Téglakar. Two of her works were presented at the 2025 OFF-Biennale.In 2025, she received the Kassák Award, which granted her the opportunity to exhibit at the Kassák Museum. The exhibition presented there, Brick Studies: Collapsed by Evening, Rebuilt by Morning, received the AICA Award in 2026 in the category of “Best Solo Exhibition.”
The workshop is an accompanying event of Border Situations, the Budapest exhibition of the LEAP – LEgAcy in Progress: (Re)Constructing European Narratives and (De)colonising Discourses project.
The event is co-funded by the European Union’s CERV program.