Humans are the only living beings aware of the finite nature of life. What does existing mean in a world where transience is unavoidable, and can acceptance be found in the idea of death? In The Nature of Things, Balázs Turós (HU) explores what remains of the self between birth and death. The project began as an investigation into how the transient nature of personality can be accepted in an individualistic society. When his grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, the work became a collaborative effort: her condition reflected his own fears, since if personality disappears at the moment of death, dementia can be seen as a gradual drifting away from oneself.

Turós expanded the project by documenting the journey of his first newborn child, creating a parallel between birth and passing on. The photographs bring together two vulnerable stages of existence, one moving towards gradual disappearance, the other unfolding into life. Time is not linear in this story but circular and layered. The images evoke the fragility of the human soul, reminding us that what cannot be grasped is also what forms the basis of our understanding of existence.