Hojstričová, Kusá – Conatus
We invite you to a new exhibition within the curatorial program for emerging curators. At Čepan Gallery, you will be able to visit an exhibition by Slovak artists Klára Kusá and Jana Hojstričová, created in collaboration with curator Mário Drgoňa.
Two bodies, two memories, two ways of grasping vulnerability. Together they form a map of an existential archive in which the body is not only an object of biology but also a vessel of memory. Into this framework enters the concept of conatus, the inner striving of every being to preserve its existence and move toward life.
Curator: Mário Drgoňa
• Address: Čepan Gallery, Nádvorie, Štefánikova 3, Trnava
• Opening hours: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (except Mondays)
• Admission: free
Jana Hojstričová
She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, where she currently works as a photographer and lecturer at the Department of Photography and New Media. She entered the art scene in the 1990s. In her early work, she focused on subjective portrayals of human intimacy, predominantly that of women. Later, her work became anchored in a sociological understanding, exploring the position of women within the family and society. A central theme in her work remains the body, which she places in the context of the growing influence of consumer culture.
In 2010, she began collaborating with Palo Macho, which brought a new dimension and context to her photography, as well as a new layer to her glass-based image-objects.
Currently, she is engaged in a research-artistic project that connects 19th-century historical photography with contemporary perspectives and explores the application of scientific principles in art and photography.
Klára Kusá
An artist whose work is based on strategies of appropriation, experimentation, and the reuse of materials. Influenced by post-war art, philosophy, research methods, and medical discourse, she works with found objects and materials to create site-specific installations. In her practice, she combines photography, drawing, video, sound, physical movement, and archival traces. Through performative gestures, she intervenes in public and institutional spaces, activating them as platforms for critique and dialogue.
She is currently studying in the online program at The New Centre for Research & Practice and at the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) in Prague. She has participated in artist residencies in Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey, as well as an internship at KABK in the Netherlands.