Since its launch, the Budapest Photo Festival (Budapest FotFesztivál) has highlighted Hungarian photographers, inviting them each year to explore new themes and spark discussion. In recent years, the festival has mapped contemporary trends across classic art genres from many perspectives. For 2025, it is focusing on artificial intelligence—a force bringing new challenges and stirring debate in photography.
AI’s Bold Step Into Portraiture
This year’s “Vals and Artificial Identities” (Vals s mesterséges identitások) exhibition centers on portraiture, examining how AI and photography collide and cooperate. Visitors will see how Hungarian artists approach these important topics, and the show puts the evolving relationship between human depiction and technology at center stage. As AI transforms the image-making process, we are entering a brand new era. The artworks on display reveal vivid contrasts and statements, highlighting the clash between 150 years of tradition and the latest technological trends. The exhibition is open until June 23.
(Cover image: Dávid Szauder: Folkloric Robots 1, 2024, LUMAS Gallery)
