Habitat

Exhibiting authors: Alexandra Barth, Martina Mäsiarová, Lucia Žitnayová, Martin Hrvol

Curator: Ľuboš Kotlár

The concept of the exhibition, as the name suggests, stems from their relentless interest in observing their surroundings. The word "habitat" usually refers to the area of ​​movement of a biological species in the habitat, or the habitat as such. Each exhibited work is inspired by the personal experience of the author. Nevertheless, the view of all involved on the environment in which they move has a markedly depersonalized and decisive impression. Everyday scenes become views worthy of recording, archiving and sharing.

The element of alienation of artifacts of everyday survival, such as banal urban still lifes, thus becomes generalizing not only on the personal level of the author. It recalls the scientific observation of a given species by another species, its research and cataloging. Without the presence of figures, these scenes subconsciously evoke the principle of archaeological research of a (non) existing civilization. All surviving artifacts are equally important for understanding her way of life, knowledge, or mythology. The apparent banality here acquires the status of a monument, a unique preserved testimony worthy of our interest and study.

The exhibition "Habitat", despite the unifying content trajectory, works with pluralistic approaches to creation in terms of form and content. Alexandra Barth presents works that are mainly devoted to the recording of the urban environment and urban still lifes, Martina Mäsiarová, on the other hand, focuses on the environment of forests, mountains, specifically mountain shelters. While all the authors work in the exhibited works with a muted color scale and stylization, Lucia Žitnayová further transforms her themes into abstract linear compositions. In the works of Martin Hrvol, all these formal approaches are interconnected - technical materials such as glass and metal are combined with natural ones. It creates spatial installations reminiscent of familiar objects, which, however, at the same time represent a disturbing section of the perceived reality locked in solid structures of regular structures.

Alexandra Barth (* 1989, Malacky) and a graduate of the Department of Painting and Other Media at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava in the studio of Ivan Csudai (2007 - 2013). She has exhibited on several solo and group projects, especially in independent Bratislava galleries (Phoinix, HotDock, PRFR). In February 2020 she had a solo exhibition in Pescara (Fondazione Zimei) in Italy. In 2017, she founded the artist-run gallery Temporary Parapet in Petržalka, Bratislava. He currently lives and works in the countryside near Bratislava.

Martin Hrvol (* 1989, Hnúšťa) is a graduate of the Department of Sculpture, Object, Installation under the guidance of doc. Ján Hoffstädter, acad. soch. at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. He focuses mainly on the creation of spatial installations, often working with natural materials. It focuses on myths and work with architectural forms. He is the winner of the ninth year of the EXIT 2019 award.

Martina Mäsiarová (* 1991, Žilina) graduated in 2018 from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava at the Department of Painting and Other Media under the guidance of prof. Daniel Fischer, later Martin Špirec and Rastislav Podhorský. During her studies, she completed several internships and residencies abroad (Ireland, Portugal, Germany, most recently Sweden, Fengersfors 2018). She has exhibited in Slovakia and abroad, the most significant were projects 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 in the Medium Gallery (2019), How to build a nest (ad / ad Project Space, Hannover, Germany 2019), Future Perfect Simple Continuous (Slovak National Museum, Bratislava, 2020).

Lucia Žitnayová (* 1994, Nitra) is a graduate student at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava at the Department of Painting in IV. Atelier Prof. Ivana Csudaia, acad. he had. She exhibited at group exhibitions in Bratislava and Piešťany Flatgallery, in 2019 she participated in the Art spaces project. In his work, he focuses not only on the painting medium, but also works with the installation and the sculpture. In her work we can also perceive the influence of scenography.