Reflexive Spaces

Kontur Magazine’s June Exhibition Recommendation

Most of the exhibition concepts featured in our June selection aim to revise outdated norms and propose new practices. These reflections often concern art history, past and present creative processes, and the specific milieu of “those who practice art.” They emphasize the social embeddedness of art, its communal potential, and a non-hierarchical, collaborative approach to thinking and making.

Simona Gottierová: Even before you say it // Medium Gallery

Bratislava, 10 June – 10 July 2025
Curator: Lucia Gregorová Stach

he values of collectivity, dismantling hierarchies, and stepping out of art’s ivory tower are increasingly central to young artists’ missions and messages. Simona Gottierová, who works in the field of intermedia art, shares this perspective. Her current exhibition is unconventional in several ways: it will not have an official opening; instead, visitors can register to attend a four-day series of musical and movement-based performances, repeated four times daily, with limited capacity. Furthermore, this exhibition is meant to be experienced rather than simply viewed—as a space “where everyone can create, feel, and breathe together.”

Participating performers: Sabina Bočková (movement), Adela Mede (vocals), Jakub Smiček (accordion)

The Comedy of the Spirit (Komédia ducha) // East Slovak Gallery

Košice, Opening 13 June 2025 (Permanent Exhibition)
Curators: Štefánia Ďuricová, Miroslav Kleban

The East Slovak Gallery’s new permanent exhibition is based on Antal Jasusch’s 1925 surrealist drama The Comedy of the Spirit, which itself is a reflection on Imre Madách’s The Tragedy of Man. Rather than following a conventional chronological layout, the works are arranged according to ten thematic units inspired by the play. Using the drama’s structure and the selected artworks as guides, the exhibition addresses still-relevant questions: Where is the boundary between progress and decline? How do crises affect personal and moral integrity? What role does art play during times of social tension?

In our interview with Dorota Kenderová, director of the East Slovak Gallery, published at the end of last year, she speaks in more detail about this exhibition.

Only Friends // aqb Project Space

Budapest, 23 May – 24 June 2025
Curator: Lilla Lőrinc

This exhibition showcases the latest works of artists currently living and working in the studios at art quarter Budapest. It aims not only to present the outcomes of their creative processes but also to visualize a collaborative, non-hierarchical creative network. According to the curatorial text, “the exhibition seeks to grasp friendship as a form of shared thinking and mutual care, often arising from spontaneous, chance encounters.”

Participating artists: Agg Lili, Alagya, Balázs Bori, Christa Bartesch, Borsos Lőrinc, Creature Furniture, Cserna Endre + Jeneses Ádám, Gantner Dániel, Fodor Gergő, Halász Péter, Halász Péter Tamás, Horváth Ádám, Ingatlan, Janky Máté, Józsa Zoltán, Kerekes Júlia, Keresztes Zsófia, Koleszár Stella, Koltai Barbara, Konrád Áron, Koós Gábor, Kovács Gergő, Köves Éva + Rostás Zoltán, Kristóf Gábor + Fridvalszki Márk, Kristóf Gábor + Szigeti Árpád, Lakatos Gelléri Barnabás, Temana Maire, Magyari Zsuzsi, Metzing Eszter, Melkovics Tamás, Molnár Csaba, Molnár Zsolt, Mátrai Erik, Nagy Eszter, Petrény András, Porteleki Áron, Sinkovits Zsuzsanna + Lőrinc Lilla, Szabó Beáta, Szabó Nóra, Széll Ádám, Tóth Márton Emil, Vadas Zsófia Tamara, Vass Imre + Molnár András

Revealing What is Partly Sensed // Bunkier Sztuki

Kraków, 14 May – 31 August 2025
Curators: Kata Balázs-Miklós, Weronika Plińska, Agnieszka Sachar

The title of this exhibition comes from an essay by Danish social anthropologist Kirsten Hastrup, who describes creativity as a process born from the interplay between talented individuals and their cultural environment. Reflecting this idea, the show connects works by artists active in cultural institutions across fourteen countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine, and the Belarusian civil society.

The exhibition was preceded by two art residencies and will continue to tour the region in the future.

Participating artists: Melike Bayık, Călin Corneliu Dan, Fenyvesi Áron, Kristian Handberg, Vaiva Jucevičiūtė-Bartkevičienė, Kaja Kraner, Barbora Kundračíková, Elli Leventaki, Margarethe Makovec, Ostap Manulyak, Vera Mlechevska, Olga Mzhelskaya, Weronika Plińska, Alexandra Tamásová

Martin Piaček: Work as a Trace as a Place // Kunsthalle Bega

Timișoara, 29 April – 14 June 2025
Exhibition Coordinator: Anetta Mona Chișa

In this solo exhibition, Martin Piaček explores the diverse material possibilities of stone – from limestone to crystalline forms, from mountain to studio, from raw block to carved object. His installations consider not only the physical transformation of the material, but also its environmental and human dimensions – the afterlife of quarrying, the dust he inhales, the memories tied to each site.

Piaček is a sculptor and head of the Intermedia Department’s “vvv” studio (visual–verbal–public) at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. His work reinterprets traditional sculptural techniques and the political roles of monuments across various media. Central themes include memory, critical reflections on national myths, and environmental storytelling.

Cover image: Detail from the Only Friends exhibition (Source: art quarter Budapest Facebook page)