ONE OF the three galleries located in the Zichy Palace in central Bratislava is Galéria Z, which this year celebrates its 15th birthday. The gallery, which specialises in contemporary art by both Slovak and foreign artists, is the dream-come-true of local artist Viktor Hulík. Galéria Z’s first public exhibition opened on March 28, 1996, Hulík recalled. It was made possible with the support of the capital’s Old Town district and Agentúra Artlines, and in fact all the gallery’s financial resources have been secured through sponsorship.
Over the past 15 years, 134 exhibitions have presented 1,497 artists from 33 countries. The most recent, a commemorative one, featured works by 36 renowned artists who had previously exhibited in Galéria Z, including personalities who helped shape local art such as Slovaks Milan Paštéka, Jozef Jankovič, Vladimír Kompánek, Viera Kraicová, Rudolf Krivoš, Andrej Rudavský, Miloš Urbásek, Rudolf Sikora, Vladimír Gažovič and Rudolf Fila and Czechs Věra Janoušková, Jiří Kolář, Dalibor Chatrný and Radoslav Kratina.
The gallery's concept is not narrowly defined, although geometric and constructivist tendencies prevail. The methods and techniques exhibited are even more diverse. One of the gallery’s main achievements is its international summer event Socha a objekt (Statue and Object), which places artworks in direct contact with audiences – in streets, gardens and other outdoor locations in Bratislava – so that people who normally do not visit galleries see the power of art. Since 1996, the event has grown from a modest local activity into a huge international exposition.
