Archive of exhibitions

Before we open the new site of the Slovak National Gallery, we decided to look at the memories of the Bridge - probably the most prominent and most debated part of the gallery complex. The digital installation Heterotopia gives the Bridge a voice. It speaks of itself, the world around it, and what it heard about itself from others; how it was shaped by the vision of its architect and the history and aura of its location. Everything that left its mark on the Bridge over the years will be revealed to those looking at it or walking through it.

Thanks to a comprehensive monographic exposition of Július Koller you will get to know the personality and work of one of our most famous conceptual artists, whose name has been resounding abroad as well. The exposition has come into being by moving the private collection of Koller′s works from the Antimuseum of J.K. residing on Zámočnícka Street in Bratislava to the premises of the Slovak National Gallery. Now, the best from the original museum, together with exhibits, will find its home in three rooms of the 1^st floor of the Esterhazy Palace under the original name Antimuseum of J.K. The new installation will be completed by author′s works from the SNG Fund.

Working with the SNG collections offers many opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. With the help of my colleague Marek Gilányi, the exhibited silver mirror unveiled to us the history of its origin. Thanks to ongoing research with my colleague Jana Luková, we are discovering more about its original owner and the circumstances of its acquisition into the SNG collections.

This travelling exhibition maps the Danube Region of the 17th and 18th century through both detailed and contextual maps of the territories around the river Danube, from its source to its mouth, of its tributaries, ground plans of towns or fortresses, or plans of battles. The exhibition has been presented at several places in Germany, Romania, Hungary and after Bratislava it will be moved to Austria.

Exhibition of Jindřich Krejča in the Schaubmar Mill is not a selection from a set of illustrations lent to us by his widow Anna Krejčová and his son Henrich Krejča. From the total volume, we chose originals which were used in the books Z našej prírody. Rastliny (From Our Nature. Plants, 1979), Z našej prírody. Živočíchy (From Our Nature. Animals, 1981), and Základy poľovníctva (Basics of Hunting,1988).

Do you have a knack for art? is an international platform focusing on art education. Every year it organizes a contest for high school students who want to deepen their interest in art and express their opinions on contemporary art and society. The exhibition presents the best projects of this year's competition with the theme Freedom of Choice by teams from all around Slovakia.

At a time when SNG was still chasing novelties and even risked acquiring a diploma project of a promising graduate, a performance Man on the River (2011) by Tomáš Šoltýs (1985) was created. The image of the man, the artist himself, who, as Christ walked, "flowed" on the waves of the Danube, had a nature of an endurance exercise - it was a demanding, life-investing performance. It got noticed not only by the cultural audiences but also by the city's security forces.

Live art, in exceptionally diverse media, is in this period harder to lay hold of in museums than ever before. All the more therefore do we appreciate the generous financial gift from Tatra banka, now making it possible to take in live art for the second year running – to “catch the butterfly”. The exhibition presents the newest additions to SNG collections by artists of the middle generation of Slovakia's contemporary art. Erik Binder, Marko Blažo, Marek Kvetan, Denisa Lehocká and Milan Tittel together offer us a varied yet coherent assortment of contemporary art approaches, media, and themes.

The exhibition Disappearing Body is an experiential essay on the "disappearing" of physical bodies in our lives. It observes the general trend of decorporalisation of human existence, which has recently taken on new dimensions. Whether we regard the issue of different degree of physical „disappearing" within everyday life through the optics of geopolitical context, technological direction, "dissolution" of identities in online environments, post- or trans-humanistic theories, pandemic measures, spirituality, or self-observation, each of the aspects offers a wide range of interpretations. Similarly variable image is brought by the exhibition.

Zone is an educational space for visitors of all age categories, who like to explore, experiment, and want to learn more about interesting topics from fine art. Here, we connect interaction, new knowledge, fun, and relax with original works of art which are commented and explained though installations.