Artists

András Zoltai

Press release

Vernissage: 11 June 2026, Wednesday, 6 PM Opening remarks by Róbert László BÁCSI, Balogh Rudolf Award winning phorographer Curated by Klára SZARKA QURNAWI — Returning to El-Khokha An exhibition by Hemző Prize-winning photographer András ZOLTAI On Luxor's West Bank, among the cliffs of the Theban Necropolis, a living community once stood. For generations, the people of Qurna lived above the ancient tombs, until they were relocated to the edge of the desert in the 2000s. Yet the mountain never disappeared from their lives. Many members of the Qurnawi community still return to the slopes of El-Khokha every day, working alongside archaeologists to uncover the layers of the past. In a landscape where ancient monuments, personal histories, collective memory, and spiritual continuity overlap, the mountain remains a powerful marker of identity and belonging. The exhibition follows the lives of the Qurnawi people, their decades-long relationship with the Hungarian Archaeological Mission in Thebes, and the unique connection between a community and a place that remains home long after it has been left behind. Alongside contemporary photographs, the exhibition presents archival images spanning nearly four decades from the collection of the Hungarian Archaeological Mission. Together, these photographs trace a longer story of excavation, memory, landscape, and change. The Hemző Prize Established in 2013, the Károly Hemző Price is open to Hungarian photographers (both from the motherland and beyond its borders) under the age of 35 who have created works worthy of the spirit and professional quality of the price's namesake, preferably in Hungary or in areas inhabited by Hungarians, depicting everyday working and/or private life, art, science, sports, and leisure. Experts invited by the Károly Hemző Foundation nominate artists for the price once a year. From among them, the board of trustees selects the finalists and the winner of the Hemző Prize. Károly Hemző Price Winners: András D. Hajdú 2014, Simon Móricz-Sabján 2015, Balázs Mohai 2016, Zsófia Pályi 2017, István Bielik 2018 (Special Jury Prize: Norbert Hartyányi), Sándor Csudai 2019, László Végh 2020, Márton Mónus 2021, Judit Ruprech 2022, Noémi Napsugár Melegh 2023, Bálint Szajki 2024, András Zoltai 2025.