International Art News

Peter Králik, Agroskate, 2011, digital print, 75 x 53 cm, courtesy of the author.

Until the 23rd of September – Nitra Gallery
The curatorial exhibition project taking place during the 30th Summer Olympics in London presents a varied selection of works related to the theme of sports, created by contemporary artists from Slovakia and abroad. Sport is a multifaceted phenomenon; therefore it is shown from different points of view – serious and humorous.

The exhibition presents a relatively large number of videos as a reaction to our passive, TV-based relationship to sports. The selection also includes almost every medium, from drawing to interactive installation.

For easier orientation and understanding of its individual layers, the exhibition is divided into several free thematic groups. The first part is dedicated to art, connected to sports in specific ways, which critically comments on various political and social problems. Another part is looking at sports as a physical activity, training and fitness, offering the visitors a possibility to exercise directly in the exhibition halls. The exhibition tackles also topics such as memory, history, recycling, subjective experience, inner worlds and construction of new contexts. Sport is, of course, a fun activity, so one of the sections is dominated by humour, irony and absurdity. And since ice hockey is perhaps the most important sporting phenomenon of Slovakia, we have dedicated a whole room to it.

The exhibition’s ambition is not to present an exhausting survey of sporting themes in contemporary art. It is rather a living mosaic which seeks to illustrate and focus on some principal artistic perspectives of these topics. And it’s not just a one-sided relationship, because after all, some sports are now and then described as art.

Exhibiting artists: Mária Čorejová (SK), Josef Dabernig (AT), Martin Derner (SK), Ivan Dudáš (SK), Christoph Höschele & Kai Kaspar (AT), Anetta Mona Chişa & Lucia Tkáčová (SK), Andrea Kalinová (SK), Peter Kalmus (SK), Krištof Kintera (CZ), Patrik Kovačovský (SK), Peter Králik (SK), Antal Lakner (HU), Svätopluk Mikyta (SK), Petr Motyčka (CZ), Vlad Nancă (RO), Jacek Niegoda (PL), Štefan Papčo (SK), Alejandro Paz (GT), Pode B al (CZ), Tomáš Rafa (SK), Jiří Surůvka (CZ)

Nitrianska galéria

Gopal Samantray Skinn Less IV Acrylic on Canvas 48" x 48"

16th February 2012 to 8th March 2012 – Indigo Blue Art Gallery
Indigo Blue Art is pleased to present Paradigms & Perspectives, a group show featuring five fresh emerging talents from India.

Showcasing a diverse collection of works, the exhibition explores a myriad of expressions and issues ranging from societal changes and expectations to urbanisation, religion, culture and violence.

Artists include Jimmy Chishi, Nabanita Guha, Kundan Mondal, Gopal Samantray and Parag Sonarghare.

Born in Nagaland, Jimmy Chishi (b. 1977) is greatly influenced by the culture of North-East India. He incorporates traditional folklore, storytelling and theology of North-East India with a contemporary twist.

Nabanita Duttaguha Encapsulate frozen frame Acrylic & thread on canvas 36" x 30"

Nabanita Guha (b.1982) employs dark humour to critique the insular and hypocritical values of the middle class society. Her paintings evoke the sensibilities of a pre-modern era and its corresponding value systems through references to old Indian prints and calendar art.

Kundan Mondal (b.1980) tends to arrange his work in a frenzied style, often forming a tapestry of images that takes references from art history, folk art, mythology, and folk tales. Using the metaphor of the cosmic mythical churning of lord Vishnu, Kundan tries to capture the contradictions and complexities that result in the metaphysical ‘churning’ through his paintings.

In his paintings, Gopal Samatray (b.1976) philosophises on the destructive relationship between humans and nature. His animal subjects are portrayed as being detached and alienated from their natural habitats. The perils of global warming and deforestation are revealed, as wild animals make sudden and incongruous appearances in urban spaces, as if they were the reminders of an impending catastrophe.

Parag Sonarghare Imagine it Done Acrylic on Canvas 75" x 30" (each)

Parag Sonarghare (b.1987) feels that we can never exist in a social vacuity. He is aware of the different identities and characters that people often adopt in daily life. He questions the role of identity in an age of technological advancement, where relations between people have become impersonal and distant.

Gallery Hours

From January 28 to July 1, 2012 – ARKEN Museum of Modern Art
With 135 works THE ESSENCE OF COLOUR is the biggest exhibition to date of H.M. the Queen’s art. At the exhibition we enter a personal universe and follow the Queen’s artistic development over 35 years. The subjects range from the close surroundings through imaginary landscapes to the most recent depictions of radiantly coloured rocks and bones.

Nature – both idyllic and dangerous – is a central subject for the Queen. The colours in the Queen’s art express the essence of a spirit. They evoke emotions and states of mind where words are not enough. The works in the exhibition range wide, from gentle watercolours through expressive paintings to imaginative découpages. In the découpages she has recomposed cuttings from art sale catalogues and magazines into new, magical worlds where anything can happen. We encounter both the humour and seriousness of the artist Queen Margrethe II.

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From Oct 20, 2011 to Jan 20, 2012 – Long March Space
“It dies just before it begins, and lives just after it ends. We have incorporated our perfect brackets within an infinite spiral, and use the brackets to repeatedly cut into the spiral’s coil in order to configure their self rotation and recovery.”

This outstanding exhibition, a collaboration of Wu Shanzhuan and Inga Svala Thorsdottir, is part of Long March Space’s ongoing search for artistic breakthrough in order to enrich our creative experience.

Wu Shanzhuan & Inga Svala Thorsdottir The More Things Rights Fiber glass 80 x 120 cm

Wu Shanzhuan, 1960 born in China. 1986 graduated from Normal Department of the Zhejiang Academy Of Fine Art. 1995 graduated from the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg. 1985 founded Red Humour. 1991 has been working and exhibiting collaborative with Thorsdottir Thor’s Daughter’s Pulverization Service. Lives and works in Hamburg and Shanghai.

Inga Svala Thorsdottir, 1966 born in Iceland. 1991 graduated from Painting Department of the Icelandic School of Arts and Crafts. 1995 graduated from the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg. 1993 founded Thorsdottir Thor’s Daughter’s Pulverization Servic. 1999 founded BORG. Since 1991 has been working and exhibiting collaborative with Wu Red Humour International. Lives and works in Hamburg and Shanghai.

Museum Hours