‘When I was a child, I found a model railway catalogue somewhere, and the last thing I remember of it is that my mother threw out (for obvious reasons) the last few remaining crumpled pages. I must have been six. I was mesmerized by the pictures in the catalogue, which showed tiny trains in tiny towns among tiny people. It made me love everything that was a miniaturized version of reality. I often saw tiny worlds in the things that lay before me—the bottom of a jar of gherkins, for instance, always reminded me of the bottom of a dirty pond, and I could spend minutes picking apart a simple orange because I couldn’t decide what I wanted it to resemble. Twenty years later I realized my lifelong dream and became a food photographer. When I bought the macro lens most ideal for the subject, I immediately felt that I wanted to get closer to the food than recommended. So the realization struck me like a lightning bolt when I found my first figures in a model shop I had wandered into: I would create this tiny, imaginary no-man’s land.’ (Péter Csákvári)

PaperLab Gallery presents the exhibition Tiny Worlds – Péter Csákvári’s Tiny Wasteland, inviting you on a fascinating journey into the microcosm of everyday life. Péter Csákvári’s works capture the exciting and surprising world of minuscule details, while telling unique stories with a powerful creative vision and artistic expression. As it reveals the potential of model worlds, the series also gives food an important role, which, along with the humour, highlights the diversity of culture, society and art.

In his creative universe, Csákvári makes use of the visual experience of the diorama to create new worlds with small objects and colourful elements. These miniature but highly elaborate compositions require not only technical facility, but a boundless imagination and a creative outlook as well. The worlds created by the dioramas inspire new discoveries at every moment, while also eliciting deeper reflections through the observation of life’s small wonders.

In the 22 photographs on view, everyday objects and foods take on a new life, with creativity and imagination offering endless possibilities. Through the originality and charm of his series, Péter Csákvári draws attention to the beauty and potential of details, while moving the viewer to discover the hidden little wonders of the everyday.

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