Marek Kvetan - Lange Nacht der Museen

Marek Kvetán /1976/ is a successful Slovak conceptual artist with a long list of his exhibitions behind him, who succeeded to forge his place on the international art scene. He has participated in many exhibitions home and abroad and has received a few art awards (a Henkel Art Award finalist, Vienna, Sovereign European Art Prize, Barbican Centre, London, 2010, a laureate of NG 333 Award, Prague, CZ, 2008 etc.). He mainly employs new media, draws from literature, film and photography

as well as internet. He confronts non-conflict beauty and harmony of lines and colors with original points of departure and invites viewers for a critical insight, whether the case is the most topical events on political scene and globalization or the superficiality of the approaches to the world and life which today seem to be prevailing. From the very beginning Kvetan`s work has pregnantly reflected existing societal phenomena accompanied by the rise of new technologies, digitalization, post-production processes in treatment of an image, internet and possibilities these areas have provided for artistic practice. Furthermore, Kvetan has utilized post-conceptual strategies with a distinctive accent on calculation and play with the viewer`s perception, always questioning seen reality and providing the spectator with a multitude of possibilities of reading his works. Irony and a subversive manipulation of existing and generally codified rules of everyday life are central to his artistic approach. This “revolt” against authorities, or denial of unchangeable system, either in common life or in terms of institutional or social critique, is always hidden, latently lingering under the surface, ready to explode and threaten the existing status quo. Kvetan draws attention to the fact that also situations and things well known when taken from their usual context, or given a new function, become undiscovered lands with many possible ways of their interpretation. Kvetan`s messages are often absurd, yet they reflect a wide range of themes – from the socialist past, nostalgic fetishism of collection of old objects, admiration of DIY approaches, questioning the relationship between high and low art, or just playing with the viewer`s perception and attention to a detail. The presented works at Ku/rz/nsthalle follow in the footsteps of above mentioned approaches offering a disturbing feeling of something that looks right and normal, yet there is something wrong and resisting the logic of our own experience and order we are used to.