Surveillance Photo

The initial idea came from the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes in Prague. The researchers of the Institute compiled a selection of photographs from the records of the former Czechoslovak state security services and created a historical exhibition based on these records. The photographs were taken covertly in the streets of Prague, of people who supposedly belonged to or were in contact with political dissident circles.

In cooperation with the Czech Center in Budapest, OSA Archivum invited the exhibition to Budapest and decided to supplement it with similar Hungarian photographs and records. The Hungarian material for the exhibition was compiled with the help of the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security Services, Budapest. OSA Archivum has also added some excerpts from contemporary propaganda and education films related to the practice of covert photo documentation. The photos, film footage, and records, which are being made public for the first time in Hungary, provide a unique insight into contemporary techniques of covert investigation and the everyday practices of oppression and intimidation.