After my brain surgery, my first dream was of a soothing swim. Immersing myself in such a large body of water had been forbidden for years due to my condition, so the dream became a liberating image: my restricted body and mind finally moving through a liquid allegory of relief. Swam with Hypnos carries the bittersweet memory of that night and the intertwined emotions of that period through physically manipulated digital photo prints, which were then scanned, projected onto diverse surfaces, and photographed on 35mm Kodak Gold with a Minolta X-300. All final images are analog photographs.
I am Anikó, a Budapest-born, Vienna-based film photographer combining analog photography with mixed-media processes. My work primarily takes the form of self-portraiture and incorporates physical image manipulation, projection, multiple exposure and rephotography. Through a conceptual, experimental and body-centred approach, I explore physical and psychological states, nostalgia, grief, vulnerability and embodiment. I want my images to offer a point of emotional recognition while also unsettling the viewer and pulling them out of familiar aesthetic and emotional territory.
