photo: Viera Jančeková
AFTER Slovakia and the United States firmed up their political partnership at the February summit in Bratislava between the American and Russian presidents, the need to connect on a cultural level is being recognized as well.
"While many Americans became aware of Slovakia for the first time due to the media coverage of the summit, many in the US still don't realize that we have been independent of the Czech Republic since 1993," said Trnava's Ján Koniarek Gallery director, Viera Jančeková.
In 2004 she prepared the Check Slovakia! project for the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, in cooperation with the institution's director, Alexander Tolnay, to introduce contemporary Slovak art abroad. The exhibition is now running at the Koloman Sokol Gallery of the Slovak Embassy in Washington, DC until May 5.
The project presents the many diverse styles found on the contemporary Slovak art scene. Works on display are by nine artists working in various art forms, from photography and graphic art to installation and video-projection. Some reflect the social and political situation in the country; others depict more global interests.
"The American public can see Slovakia as a country fully committed to being a part of a dynamic, globally interdependent community in politics, economics and the arts," Jančeková said.
Check the project out at http://www.slovakembassy-us.org/check%20slovakia.html.
By Spectator staff
from a press release
