Slash and Burn

Medium Gallery

• Roberta Andrášková, Filip Bielek, Tomáš Červenka, Michal Golák, Martin Hrvol, Anna Mihoková, Simona Novická, Anabela Ralbovská, Juraj Rattaj, Samuel Šošovička
• Curators: Adam Galko, Alexandra Kadlečík Smolková
• Exhibition Opening: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 18:00
• April 24 – May 24, 2026

Annotation

The term “Slash and Burn” originally refers to a traditional agricultural technique in which land is prepared for a new crop by burning and clearing old vegetation. This process contains an inherent ambivalence: on the one hand, fire enriches the soil with nutrients and creates space for new growth; on the other, it fundamentally disrupts the existing ecosystem and, when repeated, leads to the gradual depletion of the soil. Today, the term extends beyond its original meaning. It has become a metaphor for our culture, which has adopted the logic of constant burning and replacement—of products, relationships, places, and even identities themselves—in the belief that the new is always better than what came before.

The exhibition presents works by graduates as well as current students of the Department of Sculpture, Object, and Installation at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, whose practices are united by an intermedial sensitivity to material transformation and a critical exploration of the boundaries between natural cycles, urban environments, and new technologies. Their shared direction is defined by a focus on the memory of materials, recycling, and the search for balance between the stability of form and the relentless process of wear and decay.

• This project was financially supported by the Bratislava Self-Governing Region.
• The project was co-funded by a VGS AFAD grant.