Author´s techniques - From plaster to chewing gum

The aim of the exhibition is to map a variety of artists’ techniques and artists’ strategies of artists from the second half of the 20th century to the present with an emphasis on the Czecho-Slovak context and, at the same time, by means of the exhibited works to demonstrate differences typical for the production of the older, middle and younger generation. The exhibition will be divided into several thematic areas. The first area will represent artists of the older and middle generation, who were influenced by the well-known artists’ techniques of the first half of the 20th century (e.g. collage, frottage). However, each of the authors has shifted their chosen technique to new connections and they adjusted it to their own artistic program in an innovative way, by means of which it has become their specific author’s technique. E.g. Ladislav Novák (alchymage, froasage), Jiří Kolář (rollage, chiasmage, ventilage), J. H. Kocman (author’s book, hand-made paper), Štefan Schwartz (frottage of canal covers), Klára Bočkayová (phased frotting), and Marián Meško (softenings) worked in this way. Within the first thematic area there will be also such works presented, the basis of which does not lie in well-known authors’ techniques of the 20th century art, but which were created on the basis of author’s own research and his or her experiments. To these artists’ techniques belong for example Vladimír Popovič’s “krkváž”, Miloš Urbásek’s “muchláž” or Jozef Jankovič’s objects (pouring into soft and flexible forms – stockings, gloves...) typical primarily for the 1960s. Works created by authors younger by one generation will be represented at the exhibition by other examples of unique techniques. These authors have begun creating in the 1970s – for example corrosive paintings and spider web drawings by Peter Kalmus, or glue paintings, sticky tape paintings and box paintings by Otis Laubert, and authors who realized their original approaches in the 1980s – artists’ photo-monotypes by Ľubo Stacho and stamp drawings by Igor Kalný, or they still keep creating them in the present – scratched photographs by Miriam Petráňová. Within this part of the exhibition there will be one thematic block created, in which identical artists’ strategies, based on action painting that emerged from differing artists’ attitudes of domestic artists, will be confronted – time limited paintings and one stroke paintings by Juraj Bartusz, Dychovky (breath paintings) by Dezider Tóth or action roller-skating by Peter Kalmus. The second thematic area will consist of works of the younger generation artists, possibly contemporary works of older well-established artists. Because the last third of the 20th century, but mainly the topical artistic production, is characterized by overstepping boundaries between art genres and art media, and also by the expansion of new media, innovative technologies and specific materials, we could talk about works of almost every contemporary artist as about a so-called artist’s technique or artist’s strategy. Because of this, the second area will be based on the presentation of works of the authors, who use for their fine art untypical materials that were not considered fine art materials in the first half of the 20th century. Apart from using phosphor colors (Ladislav Čarný) or luminescent tape (Martin Sedlák) also works made of nut shells will be presented there (Michal Gabriel), plastic foam as a basis for reliefs (Martin Mainer), metal coins, poppy seed, soil (Blažej Baláž), or bread (Dezider Tóth). This part of the exhibition will be introduced by a common presentation of Mária Bartuszová’s plaster objects from the 1980s and chewing gum objects created by an author younger by several generations, Marko Blažo, the confrontation of which was an inspiration for the origin of the name of the exhibition itself. Special attention will be paid to ready made, original artist’s strategy of Marcel Duchamp (the first ready made Bicycle Wheel made in 1913) and its topical metamorphoses documented in the production of numerous contemporary authors – Otis Laubert, Ladislav Čarný, Michal Moravčík, Erik Binder, Aneta Mona Chisa and Lucia Tkáčová. There are certain differences between the terms artist’s technique and artist’s strategy, which are, however, not sufficiently differentiated in literature. In general, we could say that an artist´s strategy is a broader concept, which is not exhausted by one work of art but which is applied as a certain principle of production that can be realized by means of various techniques. Among the artists´ strategies represented at the exhibition we could include for example Participy by Tomáš Vaněk, or interpretations by Rudolf Fila.

Barbora Geržová

FROM PLASTER TO CHEWING GUM / Artists’ techniques and strategies

Blažej Baláž (SK), Juraj Bartusz (SK), Mária Bartuszová (SK), Erik Binder (SK), Marko Blažo (SK), Klára Bočkayová (SK), Ladislav Čarný (SK), Rudolf Fila (SK), Michal Gabriel (CZ), Anetta Mona Chisa (SK) a Lucia Tkáčová (SK), Jozef Jankovič (SK), Peter Kalmus (SK), Igor Kalný (SK), Jiří Hynek Kocman (CZ), Jiří Kolář (CZ), Otis Laubert (SK), Martin Mainer (CZ), Marián Meško (SK), Monogramista T•D (SK), Michal Moravčík (SK), Ladislav Novák (CZ), Miriam Petráňová (SK), Vladimír Popovič (SK), Martin Sedlák (SK), Štefan Schwartz (SK), Ľubo Stacho (SK), Miloš Urbásek (SK), Tomáš Vaněk (CZ)

curator: Barbora Geržová exhibition venue: Representative Halls, Nitra Gallery, Župné námestie 3, Nitra, Slovakia, www.nitrianskagaleria.sk exhibition will be opened till: 5th July 2009

"Author´s techniques" Nitra Gallery -
"From plaster to chewing gum / Author´s techniques and strategies"
Kurator: Barbora Gerzova

Künstler: Juraj Bartusz, Maria Bartuszova, Erik Binder, Blazej Balaz, Marko Blazo, Klara Bockayova, Ladislav Carny, Rudolf Fila, Michal Gabriel, Anetta Mona Chisa, Lucia Tkacova, Jozef Jankovic, Peter Kalmus, Igor Kalny, Jiri Hynek Kocman, Jirí Kolár, Otis Laubert, Martin Mainer, Marian Mesko, Monogramista TD , Michal Moravcik, Ladislav Novak, Miriam Petranova, Vladimir Popovic, Martin Sedlak, Stefan Schwartz, Lubo Stacho, Milos Urbasek, Tomas Vanek