Culture Shorts

New SND building to open in April


After decades of anticipation, the new SND building is almos
photo: TASR

FINAL safety checks at the new building of the Slovak National Theatre (SND) building should be completed by the end of September and the new theatre should be ready to open by April. Culture Minister Marek Maďarič told TASR news wire.

Between October 2006-March 2007, the new SND building will undergo various operational tests. Tenders for interior equipment will be conducted, and a programme will be prepared so that the ceremonial opening can go ahead without any problems.

The construction of the new SND building started during Communism in 1985, and costs have already run into the billions of crowns.



International sculpture show


Polish artist Jerzy Kedziora...
photo: Jana Liptáková

NORWAY, Finland, Sweden, Turkey and Bulgaria are new participants in the traditional Sculpture and Object show in the Bratislava city centre. Artworks by 37 artists from 14 countries were unveiled in eight galleries in late June.

The artworks present objects in a variety of style placements that are intended to give the viewer a sense of the wide range of possibilities in contemporary sculptural art.

Slovak Martin Lettrich exhibits an abstract-poetic object constructed of wood and glass in the K-gallery. Vesselin Lambrev displays bronze sculptures at the Bulgarian Centre of Culture and Information. Lambrev says he is also working on a memorial of Cyril and Methodius, which might be erected in Slovakia. Jiří Chmelář, a Czech living in France is showing a work of pressed glass objects within "Layers" in the French Institute.

...is the author of the show's only external exhibition: five trapeze artists...
photo: Jana Liptáková

The galleries of Slovenská sporiteľňa, the Austrian Culture Forum, Komart, Nova and Z Gallery, which is the traditional organiser of the annual presentation, have joined the programme, now in its 11th year. Some galleries display works by artists in solo exhibitions and others host collective exhibitions by authors from several countries. Beatrix J Piesh from the USA is the exhibitor from the most distant.

Slovak sculptural art is represented by works of Juraj Meliš, Štěpán Pala, Peter Roller, Miloš Balgavý, Eva Fišerová, Oliver Leššo, Zora Palová, Ľubomír Artz, Marek Brincko, Katarína Galovič Gaspár, Pavol Hlôška, Lenka Šimonyiová and Vladimír Zbyňovský.

"This year we have a record number of eight galleries and only one exhibition outside," the chief organiser of the project Viktor Hulík told TASR news wire.

The presentation of the sculptural art originally began as a means of displaying three-dimensional artefacts

...balancing on ropes above Ventúrska street.
photo: Jana Liptáková

amongst people, as its original name Sculpture of Bratislava streets, squares and courtyards indicates. However, the artworks often became targets of vandals and thus the project gradually moved to more secure venues, for example gallery courtyards or gardens of the Bratislava Castle or Grassalkovich Palace.

All exhibitions will remain on display until September 3.

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