ITS ABOUT CHAIRS

Where:

• Liptovská galéria P. M. Bohúňa

When:

• Opening: 26.11.2024 at 4:30 p.m. CET

• Duration:  27.11.2024 - 17.5.2025

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Exhibitors:

• Filip Bielek, Anton Čierny, Martin Derner, Ľudmila Hubová Machová, Peter Ilčík, Marek Kvetan, Stano Masár, Peter Rónai, Denisa Slavkovská, Patrik Šalata, Lucia Veselá, Gabriela Zigová

Curator:

•  Jana Babušiaková

 

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Annotation:

The exhibition "It’s About Chairs" began as an introduction of contemporary art into the Parisian manor at the Museum of the Liptov Village in the open-air museum in Pribylina. The manor’s furniture exhibition features several sets of chairs in historical styles, which became the inspiration for exploring the significance of chairs in visual art. Chairs, with their exceptionally long tradition, are intimately connected to us—both literally and figuratively. We sit on them daily at home, at work, or in the garden. Across cultures, countless types of chairs have been created, each serving different purposes. When we sit on a chair today, we can reflect on how it connects us to the entirety of civilization, from the wealthy to the poor, all relying on their support in moments of fatigue.

The selected works by contemporary Slovak visual artists featured in the exhibition approach chairs not through applied art or design but as a subject of artistic exploration. They use chairs as a significant phenomenon of both the past and present. This encompasses the multitude of functions chairs offer and the numerous meanings they evoke. Even an ordinary object like a chair can reveal relationships between people—it can symbolize power and career advancement or personify high-ranking positions.

Curated by Jana Babušiaková, the exhibition now moves from the historical setting to the gallery spaces of the Liptov Gallery of Peter Michal Bohúň. It is not merely a reinstallation but an expansion, including themes deliberately omitted previously. For example, it now delves into the conceptual layer where the story of the chair intersects with 20th-century art history.

Chairs often find their way into artistic creation because they are constantly within our sight. Artists frequently draw from their immediate surroundings, and as a result, the exhibition includes familiar types of chairs from the recent past of our homes. These pieces invite visitors to uncover new contexts and perhaps evoke memories associated with similar chairs.

 

Jana Babušiaková

 

 

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