City Without Walls

‘Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.’
(from Proverbs 25:28, New Heart English Bible)

In a few years, the urban population will rise above 60% of the world’s population, further surpassing the balance between rural areas and metropolises. Our future seems destined to go towards unquestionable globalization and urbanization.

In the series called City Without Walls, I question the humanist approach in the ever-developing infrastructures of late capitalism, using visual research to oppose the general optimism on improving quality of life. Through the symbol of the city, I explore how our zeitgeist disgraces the ethological needs of humans, supporting an unsustainable progression and governance.

The collection of ambiguous visuals and my academic statements aims to unravel how architectural determinism, advancing mental issues, and the economic order are intertwined in urban structures. Thus, the city becomes a manifestation of the systems making humans more vulnerable, polarised, and individualist than ever before.

Domonkos Varga (1998) is a photographer and conceptual artist based in Budapest. His work portrays the influential socioeconomic and socio-political elements of the world around him and his generation. His projects continually feature a well-researched background from which he composes visual examinations and builds meaningful narratives. He studied Photography at Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design (Budapest) and at Aalto University School of Arts and Design (Helsinki).