Our upcoming collaboration with ISBN books + gallery in Budapest focuses on showcasing important publications on vernacular imaging.

Eidolon Shelf represents a collaborative effort between Eidolon and one of our favourite places in Budapest: ISBN books + gallery, a contemporary art bookstore and a gallery space.

ISBN book+gallery – photo: Zsuzsanna Simon

This initiative showcases a monthly selection of books closely aligned with the realms of vernacular photography, banal imaging, and contemporary photographic theories. Our goal is to popularise knowledge in these specific areas through the titles that we enjoyed and have influenced our thinking in the field of everyday imaging. Each month, a featured publication takes center stage on the Eidolon Shelf at the ISBN store, alongside other carefully curated books which are available for purchase on the spot.

An informative and personal review, written by Eidolon editors Róza Tekla Szilágyi and Endre Cserna, of the highlighted publication is available for reading on Eidolon Journal every second Tuesday of each month, as well as in Hungarian on the installation displayed at the ISBN store. The Eidolon Shelf project's important goal is to bring these publications to our Budapest-based audience, as most of these books were never available in Hungarian bookstores before. Skipping the lengthy shipping procedures and giving our audience a chance to browse through the books before buying them would not be possible without the support of ISBN book + gallery.

The first publication we will soon feature on Eidolon Shelf is Oksana Sarkisova and Olga Shevhcenko’s newly published book, ‘In Visible Presence: Soviet Afterlives in Family Photos’. Read our interview with the authors and the summary of the title's Budapest launch, while we will shortly announce the official start date of Eidolon Shelf at ISBN books+gallery.

ISBN books+gallery
1084 Budapest, Víg utca 2.
Opening Hours:
Tuesday-Friday: 12-6pm