Britain's What's On Event Guide
Conversations around the kitchen table: Kincso Bede
Join us for an insightful conversation between curator Catherine Troiano and visual artist Kincso Bede, exploring how Bede’s photographic practice engages with themes of belonging, memory, and cultural legacy. This event marks the launch of her new monograph, Porcelain and Wool.
Originally from the Hungarian minority community in Transylvania, Romania, Bede investigates the communist past of her homeland and its lasting impact on individual and collective identity. Her work offers an intimate perspective on the deep divide between generations: her parents, who lived through communism and the regime change, and Bede herself, who has inherited their stories, silences, and traumas. Through photography, she navigates the complexities of cultural heritage, seeking a deeper understanding of the lives shaped by Nicolae Ceau?escu and the Securitate.
In conversation with Troiano, Bede will reflect on her experience growing up within the Székely Hungarian minority and the ways photography has helped her examine tradition, self-definition, and faith. As she notes, ‘my parents’ best-kept secret was their beliefs, their language, and their souls. This is me.’
This event is organised in collaboration with the V&A as part of Fluid Futures: Recalibrating Land and History in Global Eastern Europe (29 November, V&A South Kensington). It also celebrates the publication of Porcelain and Wool (Hectic Books, 2025). The title captures the balance at the heart of Bede’s work: porcelain symbolising fragility and elegance, and wool evoking warmth and resilience. Her photographic style weaves these qualities together through intimate storytelling that questions inherited cultural codes while imagining new ways of belonging.
Bede’s images juxtapose rural landscapes with modern elements, creating a dynamic interplay between past and present.
Originally from the Hungarian minority community in Transylvania, Romania, Bede investigates the communist past of her homeland and its lasting impact on individual and collective identity. Her work offers an intimate perspective on the deep divide between generations: her parents, who lived through communism and the regime change, and Bede herself, who has inherited their stories, silences, and traumas. Through photography, she navigates the complexities of cultural heritage, seeking a deeper understanding of the lives shaped by Nicolae Ceau?escu and the Securitate.
In conversation with Troiano, Bede will reflect on her experience growing up within the Székely Hungarian minority and the ways photography has helped her examine tradition, self-definition, and faith. As she notes, ‘my parents’ best-kept secret was their beliefs, their language, and their souls. This is me.’
This event is organised in collaboration with the V&A as part of Fluid Futures: Recalibrating Land and History in Global Eastern Europe (29 November, V&A South Kensington). It also celebrates the publication of Porcelain and Wool (Hectic Books, 2025). The title captures the balance at the heart of Bede’s work: porcelain symbolising fragility and elegance, and wool evoking warmth and resilience. Her photographic style weaves these qualities together through intimate storytelling that questions inherited cultural codes while imagining new ways of belonging.
Bede’s images juxtapose rural landscapes with modern elements, creating a dynamic interplay between past and present.
Thursday 27 November
17-19 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5BL
FREE27 November, 7.00 PM
Hungarian Cultural Centre London
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