National protective equipment

2020
ffp1 mask, rubber gloves embroidery thread
25x40x35 cm

The global pandemic has forced our intertwined world into a serious stand-off. In my work, I have used the rubber glove and the surgical mask as almost symbolic tools of protection against the pandemic. These tools perfectly express the paradox of both subjective and wider social, national or global defence. In fact, they – especially the masks – do not protect us from our environment, but, on the contrary, protect our environment from us. And by embroidering Hungarian folk motifs on these fragile devices, I not only channeled the work critically into the well-known political „national” phrases, but also sought to respond to the equally vulnerable Hungarian health care system, which is suffering from a lack of equipment.