Open and associative yet tangible and specific, the exhibition these walls... (1) brings together a diverse array of artistic practices that explore the Biennale’s key themes: safety and security. Though loosely connected, the selected works speak to and through one another, their varied—and at times conflicting—voices coexisting in dialogue. Informed by distinct human, cultural, and political experiences across geographies and historical moments, these perspectives intersect and challenge binary thinking, rising fascist ideologies, and patriarchal worldviews. They confront both literal and metaphorical walls that shape our contemporary reality.

The exhibition’s title is drawn from a poem by Rebeka Kupihár, whose writing reflects the friction and fragility of everyday life. As a young, non-heteronormative woman navigating Hungary’s political and social climate—marked by right-wing backlash, propaganda, discrimination, economic disparity, and worsening environmental and healthcare conditions—Kupihár moves through both real and imagined borders. Yet her gaze remains steady, her voice free of judgment. She meets the world with close attention, and embraces joy, sensuality, and freedom amid adversity.

In this spirit, the exhibition—presented at the newly opened Merlin as part of OFF-Biennale Budapest—threads together nuanced reflections on both individual and collective experiences. It acknowledges hardship, but also resilience. Through a poetic sensibility and a commitment to in-person connection, the works offer responses to violence that resist fear and division. Rather than reinforcing the walls that separate us, they envision new ways to find safety—through tenderness, empathy, patience, and shared humanity.