Sculptor Maria Bartuszová in her studio. (source: Tate Modern)
It feels like a connection through some other dimension or another space-time.
Maria Bartuszová never quite ventured out of Košice, her studio, her garden. When she was photographed working, she wore the smile of a person reconciled to limits of their being and place in the world.
At the time she was creative, no one really understood her and she did not even expect to be appreciated one day. This did not occur in her lifetime.
However, twenty-six years after her death there is a solo exhibition of her work at the Tate Modern, which, save for conceptual artist Roman Ondak, no other Slovak has been able to achieve.
Those who bear witness to her sculptures in London today probably have no idea what she went through. They must feel that she always belonged there, among the best of the best.
The journey through Košice was long
Had she stayed to work in Prague where she was born, her journey to one of the most prestigious galleries in the world would have certainly come out different.
