THREE EXHIBITIONS OF POLISH GLASS IN BRATISLAVA
An original project by the Polish Institute in Bratislava, in cooperation with the Centre for Culture and Art in Wrocław and the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava, invites you to three exhibitions of Polish glass, featuring works by Patrik Illo and Alexandra Stencel.
Glass Without Borders
April 11 – May 23, 2025 Bratislava, Polish Institute in Bratislava, SNP Square 27
Opening: April 10 at 16:00
The Glass Without Borders project is an initiative of the Centre for Culture and Art in Wrocław. It presents works from the latest edition of the Lower Silesian Workshops and the e-Glass Festival symposium of glass art and design, held in Szklarska Poręba in 2024, as well as works by guest artists from Slovakia who have participated in this plein air event in recent years. It is a unique international and trans-European project in the field of glass art that connects education, creation, and the exchange of new artistic technologies, while cultivating regional cultural heritage.
FRAGILE SHAPES OF IMAGINATION
Colorful Decades of Polish Glass. HORBOWY – DAJEWSKA – ILLO – ŁABIŃSKI – WÓJCIK
April 11 – September 7, 2025 Bratislava, Slovak National Museum, Vajanského nábrežie 2
Opening: April 10 at 17:30
The Slovak National Museum in Bratislava will feature solo exhibitions by four prominent Polish glass artists: Zbigniew Horbowy, Małgorzata Dajewska, Mariusz Łabiński, and Igor Wójcik, as well as Slovak designer Patrik Illo, who also creates designs for Polish glassworks. Under the collective title FRAGILE SHAPES OF IMAGINATION. Colorful Decades of Polish Glass, the artists will present contemporary designs and pieces created using traditional techniques, offering a comprehensive story about the history and evolution of Polish glass art and design. The exhibition is curated by Polish artist Mariusz Łabiński and Slovak designer Patrik Illo, who has long been involved with the Polish glass industry, including as head designer at the Krosno glassworks from 2006 to 2009. He will showcase collections created for this factory. The project is complemented by the exhibition THREE OF THEM. Young Polish Glass, featuring works by artists Julia Ciułek, Justyna Dżaman, and Katarzyna Pilic, members of the youngest generation of Polish glass designers.
(Im)possible
April 11 – May 9, 2025 Bratislava, ILLOLA, Májkova 2
Opening: April 10 at 19:00
The process of authorial creation in glass technology, creatively transforming the principles of design from their absolutization to their denial, is today often referred to as art design. Aleksandra Stencel, a Polish artist living in Slovakia, leans toward neither extreme and neither limits herself to functionality nor excludes it. Her work focuses primarily on the idea, rather than the form. The objects created within the (IM)POSSIBLE concept are, in essence, almost corporeal. Though essentially vases and bowls, they do not appear static but alive—like organisms of unknown origin captured in motion or transformation. Perhaps they are magnified cells of our bodies, or previously unknown sea creatures, or visitors from the far edge of the universe? The interpretation is left to the viewer’s imagination. Or perhaps not—the oddly shaped glass vessels may simply await practical use – (IM)POSSIBLE. On an aesthetic level, the objects resonate individually and collectively, offering visually engaging interactions.
The exhibition is curated by Petr Nový.
