Artist Name: Ľuboš Kotlár
Residency Dates: August – September 2025
Born: 1991
Hometown: Šaľa, Slovakia
Lives & Works: Prague, Czech Republic
URL: luboskotlar.com | Instagram @kotlarlubos
Education:
2018 – MFA in Photography and New Media, Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia
2017 – Student exchange, Photography, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel
2016 – BFA in Photography and New Media, Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia
2014 – Student exchange, Visual Culture and Contemporary Art, Aalto school of Art Design and Architecture, Helsinki, Finland
Bio/Statement:
Ľuboš Kotlár is one of the 2025 laureates of the Oskar Čepan Award for contemporary art in Slovakia.
Ľuboš Kotlár is a visual artist and photographer currently based in Prague, the Czech Republic. His work has long been focused on exploring concepts of non-normative time and space, drawing primarily from the field of queer theory. At a time when the future seems uncertain and unpredictable, he seeks to redirect our attention to the present moment and the experiences taking place within it. This approach is in stark contrast to traditional reproductive futurism, which privileges linear progress and stability. In addition, elements of liminality, his Romani heritage, physicality, and occasionally a bit of mystification often enter his work. These influences manifest themselves in his work mainly through site- and time-specific strategies of creating. He often creates processual/dynamic installations that incorporate an element of spontaneity and unpredictability, allowing for a dynamic interaction between the artwork and its audience.
His solo exhibitions include “last summer i have fallen in love madly“ at the summer swimming pool Mičurín, Bratislava, SK (2024); “something‘s wrong and i can feel it“ at Nová Synagóga in Žilina, SK (2024); “sugar“, within the Biennale Matter of Art, at Šaloun Studio in Prague, CZ (2022), in collaboration with Robert Gabris. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions including “Looking A – Way“ at tranzit.sk in Bratislava, SK (2024); “All That We Have in Common“ within Manifesta 14, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje, MK (2022); “Different Worlds 2020“ at Photon – Centre for Contemporary Photography, Ljubljana, SI (2020).
Support: Ľuboš Kotlár’s residency is made possible with support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding.
