Gyula Zaránd comes from a family of photographers spanning several generations. He first appeared in Budapest in the early 1960s. His ability to blend into different environments helped him become one of the best Hungarian street photographers of the 1960s-1970s. Seeking out his subjects in psychiatric hospitals, among alcoholics, he photographed people living on the margins of society at a time when no one was interested in this approach — when it was thought that by expelling the homeless from the underpasses , the problem of poverty would solve itself.
His photos express various genres: reportage, photo essays, portraits — but they all testify to Zaránd's affectionate attention and sensitivity towards the marginalized. The most emblematic series of this period, "Kallódó gyerekek" ("Street Children", 1964) is dedicated to a group of young boys from the Erzsébetváros district of Budapest, who spend their time hanging out, playing, panhandling or picking pockets.
With this artistic background, he arrived in Paris, where he created an important (but largely hidden) work.
The title of the exhibition is a reference to this particular situation: the creation of two very different works with the same roots — these differences echoing the distinctive characters of two countries, Hungary and France.
The Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Center is one of the oldest foreign cultural centers in Paris. It organizes many cultural events: exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, literary evenings, conferences, debates and Hungarian language courses.