Opening: 13. 9. 2022 at 6 pm
Exhibition duration: 14. 9. 2022 - 26. 3. 2023
Curators: Petra Filipiaková, Viera Ballasch Dandárová
Exhibition space C, Hlavná 27, Košice
The educational exhibition project “Sea of Possibilities” addresses environmental issues through selected artworks of the East Slovak Gallery, which are complemented by several objects from the East Slovak Museum. This project does not feature a classical curatorial selection in an attempt to map artists who have focused on ecological art or ideas of the Anthropocene. It rather focuses on presenting various thematic strands that are linked to the subject of humans, their actions, interventions, and impacts on the environment. The aim of the exhibition is to raise awareness of environmental protection and to analyse the issue of individual environmental responsibility. Climate change is linked not only to natural phenomena but mainly to the conscious actions of humans, which need to be regulated. The best place to start is from oneself.
The four main chapters of the installation are linked by the theme of water. The infinity symbol at the beginning of the exhibition communicates the regenerative vitality of nature. It recalls the hitherto unstoppable, hydrological cycle, driven by solar radiation and the gravitational forces of the Earth. The other parts, “May It Serve Humanity” and “Against Myself” paraphrase works by artists Róbert Dúbravec and Rudolf Sikora and are closely related. The first presents the dynamic development of mankind, unstoppable progress, and rising living standards. The second draws attention to the consequences of this behaviour. For example, changes in the natural environment of cave habitats caused by tourism, rising ocean levels, disappearing groundwater, the accumulation of unnecessary waste, the effects of military conflicts, and many others. Through the constant industrialisation of the rural environment, people are reshaping the landscape in their own image and, in the context of the current climate situation, it is important that these interventions are made sensitively and consciously in consultation with experts. Civilisation is heading towards a precarious point; we are living on an ecological debt that is increasing. The last part of the exhibition encourages the acceptance of individual responsibility towards the environment and the activation of the percipient.
The exhibition emphasises the importance of environmental education at every age as a symbolic indicator of humanity’s collective power over the natural world (geological and natural changes happen through human action). The project encourages the understanding and activation of individuals to engage in dialogue and find solutions.
The “Slovak Climate 2022” report, which surveyed how Slovaks perceive climate change, their concerns, and which solutions they support, reveals that the general public lacks basic information about climate change and its protection. Respondents have an incomplete understanding of these topics, despite the fact that the majority of respondents are interested in the state of the climate. The exhibition project “Sea of Possibilities” includes a range of informative and educational materials, a guide for families with children, methodological sheets for teachers, and a rich educational program.
The names of the exhibiting artists:
Maria Bartuszová, Kvetoslava Fulierová, Zlatica Reištetterová, Ákos Aranyossy, Blažej Baláž, Juraj Bartusz, Peter Bartoš, Marko Blažo, Július Bukovinksý, Jozef Czauczik, Orest Dubay, Róbert Dúbravec, Daniel Fischer, Ľudovít Fulla, Elemír Halász-Hradil, Stanislav Harangozó, Július Jakoby, Jozef Jankovič, Anton Jasusch, Ignác Klimkovič, Juraj Meliš, Rudolf Sikora, František Veselý, Ján Zelinka.
The exhibition was supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council.
