The exhibition forms part of the project with ambition to present top-notch Slovak graphics not only at home, but also abroad. The project started its journey of success in Autumn 2015 when artwork of these 6 unique authors was presented in SPP Gallery in Bratislava, Slovakia. Thus, Slovak Graphics in Brussels froms a follow-up and a step beyond the borders.
The exhibition Slovak Graphics presented six important personalities: Albín Brunovský, Vladimir Gažovič, Dušan Kállay, Dušan Polakovič, Peter Kľúčik and Kamila Štanclová. Six different authors, six different art worlds, which connect two "schools" - Hložník and Brunovský. Vincent Hložník, the founder of Slovak modern graphics, worked at the Academy of Fine Arts in the period 1952-1972. Under his pedagogical leadership studied also D. Kállay, K. Štanclová, V. Gažovič, and A. Brunovský. After the studies, Albin created a distinctive artistic expression in which he was mainly oriented towards the artistic direction known as imaginative realism. He shaped his pupils (eg P. Kľúčik, D. Polakovič and D. Kállay during the last semester), but on the other hand he left them the freedom that has already been transformed into the various means of expression used by their teacher.
The exhibition featured works from the 70s to the present. Presented were lithography, Ex libris and especially the technique of etching. However, the complex work of all authors goes beyond free graphic art and includes illustrations or paintings. From this point of view, the exhibition was a sort of insight into their creation. You could discover Gazovic's references to expressionism and surrealism, Kállay's metamorphoses of human beings and technical motifs, Polakovič's bizarre characters on the border of paradox, Kľúčik's world of fantastic zoology, Stanclova's meditative vision of the world, and Brunovsky's famous Bella Italia cycle.
Curator: Melita Fodor Gwerková
Place: Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU, Belgium
Date: 13.9. – 30.10.2016
