The Theater of Static Objects 2024

07.11.2024 19.00 Slovak National Gallery.

The Theater of Static Objects is a theater-exhibition format that utilizes the ‘magical’ potential of stage presentation. It invites authors to create scenic situations in the form of static object configurations, guiding viewers to concentrate on their observation. In this year’s edition of the Theater of Static Objects, its curators, visual artists Martin Piaček and Matěj Smetana, along with art theorist Ján Kralovič, have chosen the theme of the Danube.

The theme responds to the great river, the Danube, which flows through Bratislava and delineates or connects the borders between ten European countries.

Our focus on the Danube (Latin: Danuvius or Danubius) is understood in broader connotations associated with the motif of the river: flow, current, and element. The river represents movement and process (cyclicality, overflow, meandering)—qualities that are seemingly in contrast to the static object-based exhibition format. The metaphor of the river embodies oppositions—wildness, vitality, fluidity, as well as the continuous and persistent shaping of the surrounding landscape. The river serves as a boundary defining territories and a connector of countries, regions, and nations. It is an ambivalent motif that touches upon various polarities while simultaneously creating connections among them due to its dynamic nature.

By defining this theme, we also connect to the exhibition program of the Slovak National Gallery: the recently concluded exhibition “Art That Remained. Collection – International Biennale of Young Artists Danuvius 1968.”

How can we represent processes, transformations, and formations with a static object? In what ways can we approach motifs related to the Danube and its characteristics through the media of sculpture and installation? These are the questions and challenges we would like to pose to the authors of DiStO 2024.

The selection of current object-based approaches from contemporary authors responding to the theme will be complemented by works from the SNG depository in collaboration with curator Vladimíra Büngerová.

Admission: Regular €5 / Reduced €3.