MODEM Modern and Contemporary Art Centre in Debrecen is presenting ‘Stitching Time,’ an exhibition bringing together the parallel oeuvres of Imre Mariann and Sára Richter. The exhibition is on view on the centre’s second floor from 16 August through 25 October 2026, with Andrási Gábor and Süli-Zakar Szabolcs serving as curators.
The exhibition is structured around the meeting of two artistic practices that have developed along separate paths. According to the curatorial description, placing the artists side by side makes both their affinities and their differences visible, while also revealing connections that might otherwise remain less apparent. The exhibition treats their careers as two lines that sometimes approach one another and sometimes move apart, ultimately forming a shared pattern.
Time is the organising idea of the presentation. The title, ‘Stitching Time,’ refers not only to the exhibition itself but also to the way the two bodies of work are brought into relation. The curatorial concept describes the encounter as two threads arriving from different times and crossing within a common fabric, with that fabric emerging from both the artists’ similarities and their irreducible differences.
The language of sewing is especially important to the distinction drawn between the practices. In Imre Mariann’s works, sewing is described as a way of giving structure to the material of time. In Richter Sára’s works, it connects the stories of time. The exhibition frames this contrast through two complementary formulations: one artist stitches an impossible material, while the other stitches an impossible story.
Rather than presenting the artists as interchangeable, ‘Stitching Time’ emphasises the different circumstances and rhythms through which their oeuvres have unfolded. The exhibition’s premise is that artists working in different periods of their careers and from different life situations may arrive at related questions, while retaining distinct and non-substitutable responses. The parallel format therefore functions as a method of comparison as well as a form of connection.
MODEM, founded in 2006, is a modern and contemporary art centre in Debrecen. The institution is marking its 20th anniversary in 2026 with a broader programme that includes ‘MODEM 20,’ a selection from its collection, while ‘Stitching Time’ forms a separate two-artist exhibition on the second floor. The centre is located at 1–3 Hunyadi Street in Debrecen, and the exhibition remains open until 25 October 2026.
