Photo Comics, Hungarian House of Photography, Budapest, 25 October 2018-20 January 2019

We’ve all heard of comics and graphic novels. But how many people know about photo-comics?

Photo-comics are what they sound like: strips of photographs which, when put together, tell a story. Unlike related art-forms, they bypass language and dialogue completely. So there’s something primal about them. They’re like a real event unfolding in front of your eyes, apparently untouched by your thoughts or interpretations.

Now the House of Photography is giving photo-comics exposure. The exhibition features works by artists of all traditions, including film, photography, painting, sculpture, and even literature. What they share is a commitment to their new medium’s purity: to create photo-comics without embellishing them, but still drawing on their background skills.

You can get involved, too. The House of Photography has created a database of research into photo-comics. By making this research accessible, the House hopes to inspire further study. If you’re interested, you can take the database home on your smartphone and get reading.

(If that’s not for you, you're still allowed to enjoy the exhibition for what it is).

Photo Comics is a creative exhibition from the ground up: not only are its subject matters original, but also the art form which presents them. Any art-lover will appreciate this, but it goes without saying that photography fans will especially.

Jonny Elling