Réka Fekete I am happy to be here. I’m doing what I want to do: each element in these works was chosen by consciously following my heart and my hands. They are made of zinc and gold. Because of its scars, zinc is easy to identify and to me it expresses the passing of time. Its deep grey colour is mysterious and comforting at the same time. Gold leaf has a fragile and precious quality. It adds shine to the scars on the zinc. Combined, these two materials complement each other and radiate their individual strength. The shapes were inspired by the map of Amsterdam – my chosen home – and by memories of Budapest, the city I grew up in, and of the recurring figures in paintings in our family home. I consider these shapes my building stones. Some of the connections are strong, some are fragile. This past year I experienced my own fragility through illness. In this vulnerable state, which emphasised the preciousness of life, I felt profoundly how much I value and need the warmth, enthusiasm and support of the people around me. In this regard, the shapes are also symbolic of the way we all build communities together, each little part standing for one of us, attached to and dependent on one another. Happy to be here is a group of works that celebrates existence in its essence; choices made and things that happened to us, whether good or bad.