Rector's Award 2025
At the ceremonial graduation on July 3, 2025, the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Bohunka Koklesová, awarded several prizes for diploma theses distinguished by their high quality, content, or progressive level. Congratulations to all the awardees, as well as to the other graduates, on the completion of their studies!
Alžbeta Kopisová – Visual Arts
Nina Bialová
Atlas of the Female Rage
14.8 × 21.0 cm artist’s booklets, monotype on paper, digital print
Visual Arts (Graphics and Other Media, supervisor: Ľuboslav Paľo)
This work focuses on observing, visually representing, and writing about female anger as a response to oppressive patriarchal structures, systemic failures, and internalized misogyny. The author works with a broad range of approaches to anger, from historical artworks and digital visual outputs to original drawings and monotypes, creating a hybrid space between art, curating, and feminist activism. Theoretical concepts of radical, psychic, and intersectional feminism and artivism intersect here, emphasizing anger as a constructive political tool that serves not only to express individual frustration but also to initiate collective resistance. The outcome is a series of four illustrated artist’s booklets in the monotype technique, highlighting the diversity of forms and layers of revolt and female anger. The work calls for the acceptance of anger as a legitimate and transformative resource.
“Nina, I have decided to award you the Rector’s Prize for your diploma thesis. I must say, however, that I was also impressed by other works of your classmates. I chose yours because the content resonated strongly with what I myself am experiencing. I believe the anatomy of women’s anger is a universal theme with which many women can identify. Your work is unmonumental, arranged in four slender zines, yet the lively drawings with small captions drew me into the story and made me a part of it. Women’s anger is linked to concerns for the future of all of us; in your interpretation, I perceive it as a positive force, a starter for change, and a chance to achieve, for example, the common good.” – Bohunka Koklesová
Soňa Borovská
Halides in the Daguerreotype Process: Experimental Research on Their Impact on Photosensitivity, Restoration, Conservation and Protection of Daguerreotypes
4 daguerreotype objects, conservation materials and techniques
Restoration (supervisor: Janka Blaško Križanová)
This diploma thesis examines historical, material, and conservation aspects of daguerreotypes, aiming to deepen the understanding of their physical nature and preservation possibilities. The work included the analysis of four daguerreotypes of different origins and levels of damage to determine their material composition, degradation processes, and preservation status. Based on these findings, the author performed individual conservation interventions tailored to the specific needs of each object, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach in restoration practice. The second research phase focused on the daguerreotype creation process itself, especially the sensitization phase of the silver layer. The author studied historical sources to trace the evolution of sensitizing techniques and chemical mixtures, reconstructing selected historical methods experimentally, which provided practical insight into 19th-century technologies. The combination of technical analysis and experimental practice bridged theoretical research with hands-on knowledge, offering a comprehensive perspective on both preserving and creating daguerreotypes.
Zuzana Šupolová
Etching and Reproduction Processes of Daguerreotypes: Experimental Studies, Restoration, Conservation and Protection Approaches
4 daguerreotype objects, conservation materials and techniques
Restoration (supervisor: Janka Blaško Križanová)
This final thesis focuses on restoration research, material analysis, and proposals for the restoration of four daguerreotype objects. Advanced methods, particularly scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and optical microscopy, were used to study the silver image particles, silver substrate, and degradation processes of daguerreotypes. Various forms of degradation were observed, documented, and analyzed, including silver corrosion, glass corrosion, and biological contamination. Detailed characterization of the objects’ condition led to a targeted restoration proposal aimed at stabilizing them and ensuring long-term protection. In the second part, historical research on early reproduction processes of daguerreotypes was conducted, focusing on innovative methods developed by Donné, Berres, Fizeau, and Grove. Special attention was paid to Vienna’s key role in early innovations in daguerreotype technology, especially in optics, sensitization, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The work connects practical restoration work with historical technological research.
“Dear Soňa and dear Zuzana, I have decided to award you both the Rector’s Prize for your diploma theses. I also decided to invite you to the stage together because what connects your two works is the restoration and conservation of daguerreotypes. Daguerreotypy is the oldest photographic technique, patented in 1839. The uniqueness of daguerreotypes lies in the simultaneous perception of the image as both a positive and a negative. At the same time, on the highly polished plate, the image of your own face may appear. I see this technique as magical. Both of you sought ways to stop the degradation of the technical image on the metal substrate, and both devoted yourselves to finding methods of dating daguerreotypes based on chemical analysis. I believe you discussed your work together, shared results, and had your workbenches side by side in the studio. I consider your collaboration with restoration studios at the Albertina in Vienna to be a success of your efforts.” – Bohunka Koklesová
Tomáš Červenka
Suspended in Place
45 polystyrene spherical buoys, 30 cm in diameter, attached with nylon rope to the historical remains of a pilot bridge from 1727 in Hlohovec
Visual Arts (Sculpture, Object, Installation, supervisors: Štefan Papčo, Matej Gavula)
The aim of the diploma thesis is to interpret the public space of the town of Hlohovec and then materialize this interpretation in the form of a sculpture that becomes part of that space. The public space of a small town can often appear ordinary, without a palpable past or vision for the future. However, the landscape exists at a point between past and future: the past is represented by maintained yet often decaying structures, while the future takes shape in proposals, debates, and plans. The work aims to highlight these seemingly invisible processes and connect them, showing that the public space of Hlohovec exists in time — here and now — between a branched-out past and an uncertain future.
“Tomáš, you did not study at our school for a long period, joining after completing your bachelor’s degree at another university. Nevertheless, you quickly immersed yourself in the world of art and its roles. Your diploma work focuses on observing the river in your hometown, where, as the water level rises or falls, the remains of wooden bridge pillars from the 17th century are revealed. You approached the project as an author making performative interventions: in the video, you become part of the river, either fastening large white buoys into it or releasing them. Just as the river breathes, the memory of the place is continually renewed with the panorama of the surrounding housing estate. At the same time, the river refers to the passage of time, which is far greater than our brief existence on this earth.” – Bohunka Koklesová
Antonín Kindl
System
Interactive installation, kinetic autonomous objects; active installation area: 5 × 5 m; electronic organisms/machines (5 pcs): 40 × 40 × 40 cm
Design (Visual Communication, supervisor: Ján Šicko)
The project deals with the development of autonomous machines and their ability to go beyond pre-programmed behaviour through adaptive mechanisms. The research examines how algorithm-driven machines can faithfully achieve their goals while also discovering new and unpredictable ways to reach them. Using principles of evolutionary algorithms and feedback, entities are created whose behaviour continuously evolves based on interaction with their environment and individual experience. The practical part of the work is an interactive installation representing an ecosystem in which these electronic organisms learn to survive. They explore their surroundings, respond to stimuli, and interact with one another, balancing on the fine line between artificial and biological systems. The project follows the transition from passive tools to active agents and aims to contribute to the discussion on the current role of machines and their integration into our world. The work serves both as a metaphorical warning against emerging technologies and as a reminder of human responsibility in shaping the future.
“Antonín, I have decided to award you the Rector’s Prize for your diploma work, which deals with the development of autonomous machines – robots – that are programmed but also learn to respond to their environment, to various obstacles or terrain changes, and to each other. Your work fascinated me because I realized your extensive knowledge beyond the realm of art and related disciplines. You built and programmed machines whose existence is based on evolutionary algorithms. I asked myself what, in your work, is art, and at what point you cross the boundary from technical processing into art. I believe it is in the performativity of the machines, in their ability to respond to one another. It is a remarkable world connecting the artificial with the biological, a world built on both symbiosis and opposition.” – Bohunka Koklesová
Alžbeta Kopisová
Motherhood vs. Motherhood
Large-scale photography; object – wooden frame with a thousand photographs; photographic zine (252 pages)
Visual Arts (Photography and New Media, supervisor: Olja Triaška Stefanović)
The aim of the diploma thesis is a critical reflection on the theme of motherhood, transcending social, existential, and spiritual dimensions. The work highlights the transformative process of a woman’s initiation into the role of mother, integrating physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, thus becoming a manifestation of essential female life-giving energy. The piece aspires to touch upon human existence itself, the cyclical nature of life, and its transcendent aspects, while also examining the dialectical tension between the sacred and the profane, and the universal significance of birth and the archetype of womanhood in confrontation with the empirical reality, which the author verifies and simultaneously deconstructs through her own unique experience.
“Alžbeta, I had the opportunity to follow your diploma thesis throughout the entire academic year. The theme of your own motherhood became a central conversation between you and me. You approached the topic very well, critically re-evaluating motherhood, which is still idealized and romanticized in our society. In your photographs, you depict motherhood in a raw way – as an existential struggle of a woman with fatigue, exhaustion, and social or family isolation. You have captured in very good photographs the state of a woman on the edge of her strength, yet also showing love, tenderness, and spirituality. These are not opposing forces; this is life worth living, bringing hope in the form of strong artistic statements.” – Bohunka Koklesová
Lucia Peštová
MACHINE ARCHITECTURE
Series of models created using 3D printing (PLA material), graphic outputs in paper form
Architectural Creation (supervisor: Vít Halada)
The diploma work focuses on exploring the symbiotic relationship between architects and artificial intelligence (AI) in the architectural design process. The thesis examines the possibilities of using AI to create three-dimensional (3D) models, where AI functions as a digital tool that enables a new way of designing. The research was conducted through the creation of fragments – a series of smaller projects or models that reflect the current capabilities of AI in architecture. The work uses interaction with a conversational channel (agent) that generates commands for creating 3D models. The chat serves as a tool for entering inputs into 3D modeling programs, simulating the process of collaboration between the architect and AI.
"Lucia, I found your thesis extremely interesting, not only the practical part, but also the theoretical part. You dealt with the relationship between architecture and artificial intelligence in the architectural design process. If I understand correctly, you tested various AI systems by precisely defining architectural tasks. You then analyzed, compared, and further developed the outputs. Your thesis project made me realize that AI can be approached in a completely innovative way to benefit our work, and that it is also changing the way we work in architecture, which is based primarily on interactive dialogue between humans and artificial intelligence. We are at the beginning of a new era, of which you are a part in the best sense of the word." Bohunka Koklesová
Kamil Šlapák
Landscapes In-Between – A Painter’s Reflection on the Contemporary Landscape in Times of Change and Crisis
12 paintings, various sizes, mixed technique
Visual Arts (Painting, supervisor: Rastislav Sedlačík)
The subject of the diploma thesis is the contemporary landscape in a time of change and crisis. The research takes place in a specific area near the town of Tvrdošín, where the R3 expressway is under construction. This space serves as a starting point for reflecting on broader artistic, ecological, social, and technological processes shaping our world today. The work focuses on the complexity of the landscape theme and the problematic nature of the concepts and processes associated with it, which shape our understanding and through which we, in turn, shape the landscape. The paintings do not emerge as illustrations of facts, but as a space where visual techniques, scale shifts, and speculative expression open questions about perception and connection between humans, technology, and landscape. The significance lies in drawing attention to the need for new sensitivity towards our everyday environment in the contemporary world and to the possibilities of painting as a form of knowledge, capable of recording not only what is visible but also what hides beneath the surface – in structure, reflection, shadow, and between layers.
“Kamil, I have decided to award you the Rector’s Prize for your diploma work, consisting mainly of large-format paintings of the Orava landscape, where you come from. You are not interested in picturesque motifs, but in those that reassess the relationship between man and nature through large-scale road construction. I appreciate your courage in using different visual styles in the series, changing according to the type of building material you integrate into your works or the thematic starting points – for example, geological maps of the locality. I see your thesis as a complex work built on research of the given location and the courage to use non-artistic materiality in artworks, as well as your interest in that part of our Slovak landscape from which you originate.” – Bohunka Koklesová
Erik Vrábel
Dialogue Between Digital Technologies and Natural Phenomena
3D printing, laser cutting of aluminium sheets, bonding of chemical glass, dry joints (2000 × 2000 mm)
Design (Design, supervisor: Sylvia Jokelová)
The practical part of the diploma thesis, titled aura., presents a series of metal interactive paintings, the largest consisting of a grid of circular openings closed with watch glasses forming water cavities. These cyclically fill and empty through self-triggering siphons. When filled, a water lens is formed that briefly reveals a reduced fragment of a hidden coloured surface behind the painting, disappearing again after the water drains. The irregular, slow rhythm of the water evokes the transience and unpredictability of natural processes, while the analogue optical principle subtly contrasts with the digital overload critically reflected upon by the author, a member of Generation Z. This creates a contemplative space in which the viewer becomes an active observer and co-author of an ever-changing image of reality. In its simplicity and slowness, the object points to the saturation of today’s world, leaving the space between the image and the observer’s mind open for questions of truth, (in)visibility, and slowing down in the age of digital overload.
“Erik, your diploma work fascinated me because it provided space for slowing down and stopping. You have long been engaged in studying the physical phenomena made possible by water in its liquid state. In a shallow pool of water, you built a simple square structure with 25 openings, like lenses, that at certain moments filled with water and then returned it to the reservoir. This endless cycle, beyond our human control, creates a space for meditation, slowing down, and calming.” – Bohunka Koklesová