Art is not a Competition, but I'm winning

Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava (Koppel's villa)

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Nikola Balberčáková

Ráchel Jutka

Ľuboš Kotlár

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This year, the works of the COČ laureates are expanding generously and creating complex environments that draw lessons from the seemingly endless possibilities of the digital world and its experience limited by human capacities. All three share an interest in affects, emotions, and feelings in various shades and intensities accelerated by the (im)possibility of escaping technology, a desire to find kinship, a certain kind of community, which is also reflected in the collaborative approach in their work.

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Fifty-one artists applied for this year's Oskar Čepan Award. The portfolios of the applicants presented a wide range of media and themes, often with a strong emphasis on collaboration. They demonstrate both the interconnectedness of the scene and a tendency towards the de-individualization of the creative process. This year's international jury is again composed of leading experts in contemporary art Erin Li (CHN/HK; curator at the Delfina Foundation in London, where she runs residencies, exhibitions, and public programs; previously worked at the Whitechapel Gallery; her curatorial practice focuses on live art and live culture, from street dance to fermentation), Christina Li (HK/NL; curator and author living in Amsterdam, Netherlands; currently the artistic director of the Kim Association, an Asian transnational art initiative of the Yenna Alan Lo Foundation in Singapore; she curated Pilvi Takala's presentation at the Finnish national pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale and Shirley Tse's Hong Kong presentation at the 58th Venice Biennale), Piotr Sikora (PL/CZ; originally from Krakow; member of the Polish section of the International Association of Art Critics; lives and works in Prague; in his curatorial practice, he draws inspiration from sauna culture, mycology, and kitsch; he co-curates the art-themed reality show GASTROFAZA; he is raising two sons and is an avid cyclist), and Nathalie Anglès (FR/USA; Anglès is the executive director and co-founder of Residency Unlimited (RU); Before founding Residency Unlimited in 2009, Nathalie worked in various curatorial and administrative positions at institutions such as Sotheby's (London), Impressionist and Modern Art Department; in Paris at the American Center, the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (ENSBA); and the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs (UCAD); In 2008, Nathalie was awarded the French government's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters).

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The exhibition is organized by the Oskár Čepan Award team in close cooperation with Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava.

Exhibition curator: Miroslava Urbanová
Coordination and production: Petra Nela Pučeková
Visual identity: Matúš Buranovský
PR and exhibition architecture: Miroslava Urbanová
Exhibition architecture assistance: Alžbeta Lišková
Installation team: Jozef Pilát, Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Video: Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Music in the video: Michal Dore
Photography: Lena Gallovičová, Michaela Prablesková
DJ Kristie Kardio will play at the opening.
The exhibition will be open until March 1, 2026.

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The Oskár Čepan Award was established in 1996 through the initiative of the American foundation Trust for Mutual Understanding. Since 2001, the project has been implemented by the Center for Contemporary Art Foundation with the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding, and since 2016, in collaboration with Residency Unlimited. The award aims to support contemporary visual art and its creators. Applications are open to all visual mediums through a public call. The age limit for participation is 40 years. The project is part of the wider international network of YVAA – Young Visual Artists Awards, which are organized in Central and Eastern Europe.

Oskár Čepan (1925 – 1992) was a critic and art theoretician with a broad scope and general solid knowledge, a devoted editor and anthologist, an erudite and receptive author of texts about contemporary Slovak visual art, a philosopher, theoretician, historian and critic. He played an essential role in the Slovak history of visual art of the 20th century, and his texts are still valid and surprisingly accurate today.

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Organizer: Nadácia – Centrum súčasného umenia

Co-organizer: A private platform for the support of art collective

We thank our partners

Partners: Tatra banka Foundation, Sovereign Invest Foundation, Residency Unlimited, YVAA, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Filmový festival inakosti

This project was financially supported by Trnava Self-Governing Region.

Media partners: Artalk, Rádio Devín