As We Don’t Know Them

The project As We Don’t Know Them is part of the cycle of exhibitions that was created on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Nitra Gallery. Its concept is rooted in the gallery’s own collection. The aim is to focus on the works of authors who are in some way atypical, who deviate from the genesis of their work, either in terms of content, form and visual (artistic language, artistic strategies, the medium used), or in terms of iconography and the treatment of themes.

During the preparation of the exhibition, two categories of such works emerged from the examined material. On the one hand, it can be a one-off atypical work by an artist that appears as a unique solo piece in their work, which has not been repeated or corresponds to any stage of their work. In this context, we can speak of Ladislav Guderna’s painting (Model in the Studio, 1952-1953), Vladimír Popovič’s tapestry (My Bratislava, 1967) or Milan Paštéka’s realistic painting Šaľa – Factory (1962). On the other hand, we also present examples of atypical pieces, characterising one period of the artist’s work (e.g. his early work), which is usually radically different from his other works, created in a later period. This second type of work is more numerous and is well illustrated not only by the artistic beginnings of Martin Benka, but also by the conceptual artists Stanislav Filko and Peter Bartoš, represented in our collections by figurative work from the 1950s and 1960s, which they did not develop further and abandoned in a radical way. In this sense, the exhibition will bring several surprises. For example, the early works of Ladislav Čarný, known primarily as an author of objects and installations, but also the expressive canvases of Miroslav Nicz, who has been developing his multimedia and intermedia work since the 1990s, and the early figurative paintings of Monika Pascoe Mikyšková.

The intention of the exhibition is not to present how the work of the selected artists has evolved chronologically over time and to illustrate this process through model works. The exhibition is designed in such a way that atypical works are presented alongside examples of their characteristic works to enhance the perception of their unique place in the context of their artistic development and to highlight the broader context of their work.