On the edge of the Hungarian capital Budapest, you will find an unusual graveyard. A resting place for unwanted and unloved statues from the communist era of Hungary's history. Memento Park is on the edge of the city, awkward to get to, but worth the hassle if you are interested in history, sculpture or photography.
The statues include the big hitters from the communist era but also concrete Soviet style propaganda. From a photography point of view, it was interesting to influence the mood of the shot by placing the statues in different areas of the image. I also used features of the park to frame the figures and different focal lengths to pick out details or show the wider settings of these huge, hulking sculptures.
The statues include the big hitters from the communist era but also concrete Soviet style propaganda. From a photography point of view, it was interesting to influence the mood of the shot by placing the statues in different areas of the image. I also used features of the park to frame the figures and different focal lengths to pick out details or show the wider settings of these huge, hulking sculptures.
Most of the statues are in the open air museum section. However, underneath a replica of the now demolished grandstand from the city's Parade Square, there was a most eerie discovery. As I entered the room, I had a feeling of being watched. Hidden in the dark, damp, gloomy basement was a collection of busts and statues of the two most powerful and ruthless Soviet leaders, Lenin and Stalin. Stacked on pallets, discarded without fanfare, it is a fitting low key way to display the busts of two cruel dictators; completely at odds with the cult of personality that was once created in their names.
As many western democracies are trying to work out how to reconcile the legacy and artefacts of the past with present day values, it seems Memento Park may have found an answer. It has used the art once displayed to celebrate the communist era so now it informs and educates people about the dangers and consequences of dictatorship and tyrannical regimes.
