Authors: Katarína Balúnová, Tomáš Agat Błoński, Eva Čarnoká, Slavomír Durkaj, Paulína Halasová, Milan Hnat, Petr Jedlička, Quirin Jedlička, Zuzana Kacvinská, Martin Kacvinský, Robo Kočan, Jaroslav Malík, Annamária Mikulíková, Ivan Novotný, Peter Rónai, Peter Smik, Imrich Svitana, Simona Štulerová, Amalka Ľudmila Valenčíková, Vladimíra Weiss, Peter Župník

The educational and presentational exhibition showcases the work of 21 artists and 35 selected artworks which have been added to the collection of the Gallery of Spiš Artists over the last five years. The number of the presented works is by no means accidental; it represents the 35 years of the Gallery’s existence. A total of 347 works of various genres by 58 different artists were acquired by the Gallery of Spiš Artists for its collection between 2017 and 2021. The project is presented as part of the Collection dramaturgical cycle of exhibitions.

“Illusion, the apparent falsehood of a simulated reality, appropriation, the blurring of the boundaries between reality and simulacra: these are all common concepts in post-modern art, reflecting our post-modern world where the traditional concept of universality has been replaced by the art of individuality. The weighty philosophical basis of post-modernism is presented in eclectic forms which are full of irony, eccentricity, juxtapositions, illusions, semiotic confusion and paradoxes."

The exhibition is comprised of 3 themes and 5 active interactions between the visitors and the works in situ. The theme Face to Face opens up a space for critical interpretations through the prism of artistic reactions to contemporary consumer lifestyles, the ongoing process of automation in industry and the resulting replacement of the human workforce by robots. The theme analyses questions of identity and the role of mankind in society. The second section, Biomorphic Forms and Photographic Experiments, pulls back the curtain to reveal the creative process of artists’ photographic activities. Visitors can experiment directly with photographic techniques which offer a wide range of potential artistic manipulations and approaches. A magical living world is created by using spectacular photographic techniques to capture biomorphic forms, magnified microscopic organic elements and natural objects. Formal distortions in figurative paintings are a reflection of the artistic imagination and subjective ways of looking at the universe. The conceptual variety is concluded with the thematic section titled Industry which interprets the perspectives of the younger generation on the concepts of industrialization, the urban metamorphosis of the landscape and architecture, and reflects on the environmental impact of our society.”

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Curator:  Mgr. Kamila Paceková – GUS

Graphic design: Mgr. art. Ivana Babejová, ArtD. – GUS