Opening: 13. 2. 2025, 6 p.m.
Curator: Zuzana Janečková
Exhibition duration: 14. 2. 2025 – 8. 6. 2025
Alžbetina 22, Košice
Elixir offers an extensive overview of the work of Dávid Demjanovič and Jarmila Mitríková, marking the first major exhibition of the artists’ oeuvre to be held in Kosice. Encompassing pyrography (both painted and unpainted), ceramics, experimental works, working sketches, inspirational clippings and the books which have inspired both their joint and individual art, the exhibition combines both older and newer collaborative pieces which map the evolution of their various motifs and symbols across different contexts. The wide-ranging selection features some of the artists’ earliest works but also several new pieces which have been specially created for the exhibition. Since the main intention of the exhibition was to present works which had not previously been displayed in Košice, Elixir will impress even those who are familiar with the artists’ body of work. As they walk around the exhibition, visitors will be constantly confronted with something new, yet they will also experience a recurrent and multi-faceted sense of déjà vu. The motif of the fly agaric mushroom is a constant feature throughout the exhibition, forming a psychedelic substratum for the emergence of multi-layered narratives. To this is added a sanatorium, a pinch of the mountains, one large campfire, a Pioneer’s scarf, and a generous clump of bear fur; mix well, and the result is an elixir with a liberating effect which can take the viewer as far as their own courage allows.
The inspiration for the title of the exhibition came from the 2017 work “Distilled elixir which promotes the growth of a revolutionary beard” which features all of the characteristic features of their work, such as visual flair and a distinctive sense of humour matched with a critical depth. The hallucinogenic optics are a highly apt reflection of the patchwork-like nature of the contemporary moment; the heady mixture of different motifs gives the impression of being endlessly written anew, the layers of varnish fading and reemerging boldly, seared into the wood like an indelible tattoo. The sense of unease is intensified by the recurrent motif of masks; depicted in both pyrography and ceramics, the masks are suggestive of esoteric magic rituals. There is typically a certain degree of ambiguity in our nationalistic and folkloric symbols; in the wake of the recent passing of the director David Lynch, we can perhaps discern the Black Lodge lurking within the confines of the village barn.
Jarmila Mitríková (*1986) and Dávid Demjanovič (*1985)
The artists actively collaborated as a duo from 2009 to 2023. They studied at two departments at the School of Applied Arts in Košice at departments which have since closed: Jarmila at Ceramics, and Dávid at Stonemasonry. They continued their studies at the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Bratislava; Jarmila studied Ceramics and Painting, Dávid Sculpture and Intermedia. Both graduated from the Academy of Fine Art and Design in 2011. Their work has been exhibited in Slovakia and abroad, and they have undertaken several art residencies in Holland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Their work also features in the collections of several renowned institutions (Slovak National Gallery, East Slovak Gallery, the collection of the Duke of Bavaria, Franz von Bayern, at Nymphenburg Palace). Currently working separately, they are based in Košice and Bratislava. They are both passionate collectors of ceramics.
Distilled elixir which promotes the growth of a revolutionary beard, 125 x 160 cm, pyrography on plywood, wood varnish, 2017, private collection