MACH 2025 / 1st Edition of the Performance Art Festival Theme: MISERY

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Where:

• Svetlík Studio

  • Nová Cvernovka, Račianska 1575/78, 831 02 Bratislava

When:

• 16:30 - 18:00 Discussion: Performance Art and Mental Health: Contexts and Fragilities

  • Moderated by Michaela Kučová

• 19:00: Performance Evening at Svetlík

 

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Featuring: 

• ZUZANA ŽABKOVÁ

• VIKTÓRIA REVICKÁ

• FILIP STREĎANSKÝ

• TEMPORARY COLLECTIVE

 

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Annotation

The MACH Festival was created as a tribute to the work and ideals of visual artist and performer Katarína Morháčová (1986 – 2018), known under the pseudonym Kata Mach. Her work continuously explored themes of vulnerability, imperfection, awkwardness, desire, subjectivity, and mental health, along with their broader socio-political connotations. The first edition of the festival is dedicated to the theme of MISERY—both as an individually experienced reality and as a framework for contemporary socio-political conditions.

Misery is commonly understood as a state of great poverty, hardship, or distress, often associated with feelings of disappointment, sadness, and despair. It can be perceived as a period of unfavorable material or psychological conditions. Paradoxically, misery can also have an emancipatory nature. Adverse conditions or suffering often push individuals or communities to reconsider their existence, become aware of injustices, and find motivation for change.

Misery can lead to personal or collective liberation, whether social, economic, or cultural. Examples include the history of various emancipation movements—such as the struggle for workers’ rights, women’s emancipation, or civil rights movements. Misery can become a catalyst for recognizing rights and freedom, for fighting for dignity and a better life.

For MACH 2025, we have invited artists who respond to this theme through their performative works.

The selection of participants was made through two methods—an open call and direct invitations.