Private Nationalism, 2014-2015
March 27 – April 30, 2014
Kunsthalle Košice, Slovakia
Curators: Ilona Németh, József R. Juhász, Michal Štofa
Other exhibitions: 21.2. – 15.3. 2014, Praha; 8.5. – 15.6. 2014, Pécs; 18.7. – 28.9. 2014, Dresden, 15.2. – 30. 3. 2015, Krakow
Curators: Lenka Klodová, Ivan Mečl, Ilona Németh, József R. Juhász, Michal Štofa, Rita Varga, Márton Pacsika, Nadine Bors, Andrea Hilger, Anna Lebensztejn, Lidia Krawczyk
On view by Ilona Németh: Retour (2013, with Jonathan Ravasz), and Zsófia Meller (2012), Middle of Europe (2014)
Photos by Boris Vajtovič (Kunsthalle Košice)
Introduction by co-curator, art historian Edit András (excerpts)
The Private Nationalism Project is a series of international art and cultural programs supported by the European Union’s Culture Programme 2007-2013, the Visegrad Fund, and local sponsors. It will be realized as a collaborative effort among eight institutions from six countries, a team of art professionals, and several artists from Central-Eastern Europe and its buffer zone. In does not focus on moments of high political drama, but rather on the process by which these moments are so naturally absorbed and embraced by ordinary people. It thus concentrates on the solid texture of ordinary people’s everyday experience and involvement in setting in motion the machinery of nationalism.
Instead of “canned”, ready-made exhibitions traveling aimlessly to the different parts of the region while ignoring the local settings, contexts and priorities, the subsequent exhibitions will seek to remedy the problems and concerns of “private nationalism” that are relevant in each of the countries involved, based on the fact that the national cases differ so widely.
Although all the exhibitions will be based on works from the same pool of artists and will feature artworks that are sensitive to the relevant issues in the participating countries, each host institution will provide a locally specific sub-topic or approach to the “umbrella concept”. It might extend its scope beyond its borders by sweeping its geographical radius. Following this trajectory, different local settings, priorities and urgencies, as well as sub-regions, zones of local conflicts, political tensions and related minority questions will be explored.
Partners
Kassák Centre for Intermedia Creativity, Slovakia
K13 – Cultural Centres of Košice / Kunsthalle Košice, Slovakia
Kunsthalle / Hall of Art Košice, Slovakia
Apartment Project, Istanbul, Turkey
Bunker Sztuky, Krakow, Poland
Divus, s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic
Kassak Centre of Intermedia Creativity, Nové Zámky, Slovakia
Ostrale, Dresden, Germany
Zsolnay Heritage Management Nonprofit Ltd., Pécs, Hungary
The project is supported by:
European Union Program Culture (2007-2013)
Visegrad Fund