Exhibition · 2014

Hungarian Women in New York

Hungarian House, New York

In my own words

New York changed the way I see. Not the way I shoot — the way I see. I photographed Hungarian women who had chosen that city as their own, and what fascinated me was how identity travels: how you can carry a whole country in your pocket and still belong completely to Manhattan.

We shot on stairwells, on rooftops, on corners where the wind cuts through. Everyone had a story about the first winter. Everyone had a story about what they left. The pictures are about that double belonging — the thing you never quite resolve, and eventually stop wanting to.

Gallery

Works from the exhibition

A woman in an elaborate embroidered Hungarian folk costume with a wide, layered skirt poses amid crowds in Times Square at night.
Split image: a blonde woman in black on a rooftop against city skyscrapers, and the same woman in colorful Hungarian folk dress on a balcony overlooking a street.
A woman in a black coat and jeans sits on a large rock in Central Park with the New York skyline behind her.
Close-up portrait of a blonde woman peeking over sunglasses, leaning against a tree trunk in sunlit woods.
Collage of a short-haired blonde woman in a leather jacket and leopard-print top posing at night against reflective glass panels.
A smiling woman stands beside a patterned rolling suitcase in front of an illuminated lighthouse tower at night.
A woman with shoulder-length hair rests her chin on her hand, seen through a café window with reflections of the street.
A smiling woman in a red hat and black coat carries a brown handbag inside an elegant shopping mall with holiday decorations.
Close-up portrait of a woman with curly auburn hair framed by twinkling white string lights.
Close-up portrait of a smiling blonde woman resting her head on a railing, wearing a striped top and jewelry.
Four-panel color-tinted collage of a blonde woman reclining on a bench, each panel showing her striped dress in a different accent color.
Sepia-toned portrait of a smiling dark-haired woman with a white scarf, photographed among a crowd on a city street.
Collage of a woman in a white coat sitting in a park at night, close-up portrait, and celebrating by a fountain with arms spread.
Four-panel collage of a woman in a stylish hat and denim vest exploring Times Square, including walking with luggage and posing in a red coat.
Three-panel collage of a dark-haired woman in a black coat and red scarf enjoying golden-hour light on an elevated city walkway.
A blonde woman in a white scarf and jacket leans on a railing with the sunlit New York skyline and river behind her.
Three black-and-white images of a dark-haired woman in a black dress and boots posing on outdoor concrete steps at night.
Collage of a blonde woman in a black dress posing on stairs, in a fur-collared coat at night, and hailing a taxi on a busy street.
Black-and-white close-up of a woman blowing a kiss, cigarette holder in hand, amid the lights of Times Square.
Four-panel collage of an auburn-haired woman in sunglasses and a brown puffer jacket enjoying an autumn park and city bridge views.
A woman in a denim vest and jeans sits high on a glass railing overlooking a modern transit hub interior.
Split image of a woman with a glass of red wine on a rustic bench, and the same woman in a red coat descending brownstone steps.
Collage of a woman with sunglasses on her head in close-up, and standing on rooftops overlooking the Manhattan skyline and rivers.
Collage of a woman in a black coat and pink top posing near city landmarks, on museum steps, and seated on a park bench.
Collage of a woman in a pink jacket posing against the night skyline, on a boardwalk near colorful lights, and lying on a rooftop.
Collage of a woman in a patterned quilted coat posing against the city skyline and inside the Hoboken train station.
Collage of a woman in a black leather dress, wide-brim hat and red gloves posing with vintage luggage inside Grand Central Terminal.
Collage of an elderly couple and an elderly woman warmly smiling and applauding during a community event.
Collage of a young auburn-haired woman in a fur-hooded jacket enjoying autumn foliage on a park bench and terrace.
Collage of a smiling blonde woman in a red wrap coat posing inside the grand marble halls of Grand Central Terminal.

© Norbert Bánhalmi / BANHALMI. All rights reserved. Images from the BANHALMI archive, 1999–2026.

Press & media

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Why it belongs here

Why it belongs here

How it connects to the wider work

New York changed the way I see. Not the way I shoot — the way I see. I photographed Hungarian women who had chosen that city as their own, and what.

Period of the oeuvre

II2014–2016Human stories and historical memory

Read about this period

Connected records

Presence-research period · IV

Institutions, books and exhibitions

This exhibition belongs here because of the question behind it, the photographs it brought together and the traces it left in public.

Archive overviewInstitutions, books and exhibitions Press and moving imageHungarian Women in New York Curatorial dossierResearch context