Tuesday, February 11, 2025 | 6:30 PM
Location: Residency Unlimited
360 Court Street (main green church doors), Brooklyn NY 11231 (map)
This program will be streamed online via Zoom at this link.
Over the past two years, Slovakia has seen a surge in populist and right-wing policies in the highest ranks of political representation, deeply influencing the country’s cultural policies and leading to rapid dismantling of the art scene, its institutions and funding structures. This surge nonetheless provoked a mass movement of arts and culture professionals across the country coming together in solidarity, resistance and ongoing protest. The panel discussion entitled Slovak Art in Resistance will provide insights into the current situation, highlighting the radical and transformative role of ongoing creative protest and presenting methods, formats and options of resistance. Peter Kršák will introduce the history and context of the contemporary art scene in Slovakia, crucial in understanding today’s responses in art and culture. Zuzana Godálová will look at the role of Independent Cultural Spaces in Slovakia as political and societal actors in current cultural resistance. Sharing the story of Open Culture! Platform, Anna Jabłonowska Holy will discuss a recently formed country-wide independent civic group for protecting the independence of the Slovak cultural scene. Zuzana Jakalová will discuss the recently established cultural unions in Slovakia, their mission and activities.
The keynotes will be followed by a Q&A session.
About
Zuzana Jakalová is a curator, researcher and writer. She currently works as an Assistant professor at the Department of Art History and Theory Brno University of Technology and at the Foundation – Center for Contemporary Art Bratislava. She worked as a curator, researcher and organiser at Display – Association for Research and Collective Practice Prague, curator of public programs at City Gallery Bratislava. Along with Zbyněk Baladrán, she is the co-author of Display´s hybrid collaborative publishing house focusing on texts between art theory and contemporary emancipatory thought.
Zuzana Novotová Godálová is the founder and director of Nástupište 1-12 (since 2011), a contemporary cultural space in Topoľčany, and Pažite, an interdisciplinary cultural hub in the village of Podhradie. Since 2024, she has served as the Chair of the Slovak network Anténa, representing 33 independent cultural centers across Slovakia. Her leadership and artistic practice highlight the intersection of art, public engagement, and the reimagination of cultural spaces.
Peter Kršák is an art historian. Since 2004, he has been working at the Encyclopaedic Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences on the Beliana project. Peter Kršák, a graduate in art history from the Faculty of Arts at Comenius University in Bratislava, engages in painting, collage, graphics, and ceramics. He has curated several exhibitions and written scholarly texts and publications. Currently, he focuses on research in public space and monumental art.
Anna Jablonowska-Holy is a freelance art director and a digital communication strategist for culture, heritage, and arts with a rich history of contributing to the dynamic world of graphic design mixed with marketing strategies. She is a part of the Open Culture Platform, a recently formed independent civic group that protects the independence of the Slovak cultural scene.
