Introduction:
Organising the 46th International Congress of AICA may be regarded as the culmination of roughly sixty years of effort by a young discipline, Slovak art criticism, to communicate fine art to our own society, as well as to the international community, and thereby raise its artistic and intellectual level.
That can never be done easily. Every good art historian and critic in Slovakia is permanently in the position of a rebel, who daily must defend his/her freedom and unyielding independence – at one time, under the totalitarian regime, against the ambitions of less talented colleagues ; later on against a nationalist oligarchy committed to genre descriptiveness ; and today against the abuse of some features of the market and all kinds of fashionable superficiality. Strong characters as a rule are able to bear such pressures, but paradoxically, and with iron regularity, all the most distinctive critics have had to pay the price of a certain social marginalisation. They have suffered the unwarranted loss of important employment positions, thereby impeding not only their personal growth but also the development of the many institutions where they worked. We dedicate this congress to them above all : Alžbeta Güntherová-Mayerová, Karol Vaculík, Marián Váross, Ľubor Kára, Radislav Matuštík, Eva Šefčáková, Tomáš Štrauss, Igor Gazdík, Zuzana Bartošová, Katarína Rusnáková, Alena Vrbanová, Vladimír Beskid, Ľudmila Kasaj-Poláčková, and others, including those future critics whom the same fate still awaits. Historians of art and critics (simply by virtue of their profession, which demands expansive knowledge and vision) always have before them an idea of a situation towards which the art scene is still only tending. And that ensures that none of them will be “prophets in their own country”. Particularly in the post-totalitarian countries, this is something that must be regarded as inevitable.
The AICA Congress was last held in our region in 1966 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia. Only its secondary offshoot took place in Bratislava, but that part has become legendary. Many world-ranking critics, headed by Pierre Restany, instead of attending an event presenting the official notion of contemporary art as found in the halls of hidebound institutions, took part instead in Alex Mlynárčik’s “counter-event”, which was held in public toilets. This event underlined the duality of the contemporary cultural situation, – official and alternative – a model which survived through subsequent decades in various modifications. Today we have a new situation before our eyes : we are witnessing real international successes by Slovak artists on the international scene. This fact in itself poses a duty to contribute our own opinions and stances towards the naming of the wider-than- local context of visual art, at the very least for the purposes of Central Europe and Europe as a whole.
With that in mind we have formulated the theme of our congress, taking into account the potentially wider significance of any local scenes whatever, which represent “White Places and Black Holes” not only outwardly but sometimes and in some degree even for themselves. Central Europe is preeminently a place where many different cultures meet, a place of fragments, concurrences or counter-impulses, and in this regard it may be perceived also as a model for other countries in similar situations. Many of these themes were identified and opened up during last year’s congress in Zurich ; they present a huge challenge, and our ambition is to extend them, continue with their analysis, and hopefully, within the limits of possibility, to attempt answers to some of the questions at least.
Congress Title : White Places – Black Holes
Brief Description of the Congress Theme :
White place is a term used in cartography describing unnamed places on the map. Black hole is a term from cosmology defined as a region of spacetime from which gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping. White Places – Black Holes sets out to analyse the strategies by which lesser-known regions have been and are reflected in the global history of art. How is the local history of art perceived from the centres, and how is the global history of art perceived on the periphery ? White Places – Black Holes is a problem permanently present in art history, and features in its own way in every attempt at critical reflection on visual art. During the last congress held in Czechoslovakia in 1966, the isolated artistic scene that was hidden behind the Iron Curtain introduced itself to the most prominent world critics in the AICA. Thereby, for a brief while, it made contact with the world and acquired space in which to advocate its international positions. However, even today we meet with similar problems not only in every country of central and eastern Europe but anywhere at all where the art scene has developed in relative isolation and without the opportunity to communicate directly with the artistic centres. Our aim, therefore, is to organise a central European congress which will reflect the wider associations of how local art scenes are perceived by “official” art history. This problem, in the broad sense of the word, affects all artists and artworks that have striven to impress themselves upon the scene and catch the eye of history. Is it really criticism which decides what is accepted and rejected, and what methods does it employ in its research procedures ? To what extent is the image it creates genuine, to what extent is it schematic ? What is the role of critics in the lesser known regions, and how do they reflect development beyond “their territory” ? Where has criticism got to in the year 2013, and how does it reflect the changes in thinking brought about by the new communication schemas ?
The three days of the congress will be divided among two parts :
DAY 1, DAY 2 – White Places – Black Holes
The first day of the congress will be devoted to a return to history, with analyses and criticisms of the ways in which regions have been preceived in the dominant history of art in past decades. To the present date the question has not been addressed : in the context of this history, how can the specific value and originality of the art of local scenes be defined, without applying a colonial or other distorted perspective ? A special sub-theme will be devoted to pierre restany and his international activities, specifically his relations with central europe or other regions outside france.
DAY 3 – White Places – Black Holes, Reflection of the Future
Art criticism is privileged not only to reflect on the past but also to anticipate the future. The theme of the day will be devoted to analyses of the changes in the perception of art caused by the new communication schemes. Also discussed will be the means by which art criticism can come to terms with these changes (google curating, permanent online status, multi sharing, social networks and art criticism). What new social tasks and status will criticism have in the future ?
Congress Location:
XLVI. AICA International Congress 2013 organised by the Slovak section of AICA, will be held on 24. -27. September 2013 in Košice, the metropolis of eastern Slovakia, and Bratislava, the capital city of the Slovak Republic.
Congress Support:
KOSICE 2013
MINISTERVO KULTURY SLOVENSKEJ REPUBLIKA
The Getty Foundation
Congress Program
19. 9. – 23.9. 2013
Arrival to Košice
20. – 22.9.
Pre-congress tour 1:
Hiking in High Tatra Mountains
21. – 22.9.
Pre-congress Tour 2:
Wooden architecture of East Slovakia / Medieval Monuments of the Spis Region
22.9. Sunday evening
Commissions
23.9. Monday
Board meeting
24.9. Tuesday
XLVI. AICA Congress in Košice – DAY 1.
25.9. Wednesday
XLVI. AICA Congress in Košice – DAY 2.
26.9. Thursday
transport to Bratislava by train (app. 5 hours).
Žilina tour
Evening: Opening reception of BLAF festival – Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
27.9. Friday
XLVI. AICA Congress in Bratislava – DAY 3.
28.9. Saturday
General Assembly
Guided gallery tour in Bratislava
29.9. Sunday
Travel to Krakow (organised by AICA PL)
29.9. – 1.10.
Postcongress in Krakow
REGISTRATION FORM
The registration form is available online on AICA Slovakia’s website :
http://www.aica.sk/participation.html
Accommodation
We suggest to book your accommodation in Košice and Bratislava as the congress will take place in both cities.
When making a booking via email, please use a code “aica” to get more convenient price in these hotels.
HOTELS IN KOSICE
Please book your rooms in Košice in the period from 24th September – 26th September 2013.
- Hotel Yasmin ****
Tyršovo nábrežie 1, 040 01 Košice
Reservation email: reservation@hotel-yasmin.sk
Tel.: +421 55 7951 100
Website: www.hotel-yasmin.sk
Room type: Superior double room
Price per night:
1 person ………….. 55€
2 persons ………… 61€
Breakfast : not included, extra charge 6 Euro per person
Not included in room price: EUR 1,50 city tax per person per night.
- Hotel Centrum ***
Južná trieda 2054/2A , 040 01 Košice
Reservation email:info@hotel-centrum.sk
M.: +421902755755
Website:www.hotel-centrum.sk
Room type: Double Standard Room
Price per night:
1 person ………….. 45€
2 persons …………. 55€
Breakfast : included
Not included in room price: EUR 1.50 city tax per person per night.
-DoubleTree by Hilton Košice ****
Hlavná 1, 040 01 Košice
Reservation email:reservations@hiltonkosice.sk
M.: +421 55 3251 100
Website: http://www.doubletree-kosice.com/
Room type: Double Standard Room
Price per night:
1 person …………… 59€
2 persons ………….. 75€
Breakfast : included
Not included in room price: EUR 1.50 city tax per person per night.
HOTELS IN BRATISLAVA
Please book your rooms in Bratislava in the period from 26th September – 29th September 2013.
When making a booking via email, please use a code “aica” to get more convenient price in these hotels.
- Ibis Bratislava Centrum ***
Zamocka ul. 38, 811 01 Bratislava
Reservation email :h3566-sl@accor.com
M.: +421 2 592 92 780
Website:http://www.ibis.com
Room type: Standard room (1 double bed)
Price per night:
1 person ………….. 49€
2 persons …………. 59€
Breakfast : included
Not included in room price: EUR 1.65 city tax per person per night.
- Hotel Saffron ****
Radlinskeho ul. 27, 811 07 Bratislava
Reservation email: rezervacia@hotelsaffron.sk
M.: +421 2 212 99 301
Website:www.hotelsaffron.sk
Room type: Double Standard Room
Price per night:
1 person ………….. 53€
2 persons …………. 63€
Room type: Double Deluxe Room
Price per night:
2 persons ………….. 73€
Breakfast : included
Not included in room price: EUR 1.65 city tax per person per night.
- Hotel Tatra ****
Namestie 1. maja 5, 811 06 Bratislava
Reservation email: rezervacie@hoteltatra.sk
M.: 00421 2 59272111
Website: www.hoteltatra.sk
Room type: Single room
Price per night:
1 person …………. 47€
Room type: Double room
Price per night:
1 person ………….. 55€
2 persons …………. 65€
Breakfast : included
Not included in room price: EUR 1.65 city tax per person per night.
How to reach Košice and Krakow ?
Connection alternatives for flights to Košice:
· Budapest
· Bratislava
· Vienna
· Prague
You can get to Košice by plane, by bus or by train.
The easiest way is to arrive to Budapest – Ferihegy International Airport providing not only direct flights in Europe but also to some Non-European countries. It is possible to take a shuttle bus which will take You directly to Košice. You can buy a shuttle bus ticket in advance altogether with airplane ticket.
Transport from Budapest airport
> Shuttle bus
At the airport we suggest take a shuttle bus which will take you straight to Košice. The bus ride from Budapest to Košice takes approximately 3.5 hours.
-> Bus + train
Use a public transportation from the airport Budapest Keleti pu train station. The train journey from Budapest to Košice takes approximately 4 hours.
Transport from Vienna Airport
-> Plane
There is a direct flight from Vienna to Košice with Austrian Airlines. Use public transportation or take a taxi to get from Košice airport to the city center.
->Bus + train
Take a bus from Wien Schwechat to Bratislava Bus Station “Mlynske Nivy”. Use a public transportation number 210 to get from the bus station to Bratislava Main Station (Hlavná stanica). The train journey from Bratislava to Košice takes approximately 5 hours.
Transport from Bratislava airport
->Plane
There is a direct flight from Bratislava to Košice with Danubia Wings. Use public transportation or take a taxi to get from Košice airport to the city center.
->Bus + train
Take a public transportation connection number 61 which will take you to Bratislava Main Station (Hlavná stanica). The train journey from Bratislava to Košice takes approximately 5 hours.
Transport from Prague airport
->Plane
There is a direct flight from Prague to Košice with Czech airlines. Use public transportation or take a taxi to get from Košice airport to the city center.
-> Bus + train
Use the Airport Express bus to get from Prague airport to the Prague main train station (Hlavní nádraží). The train journey from Prague to Košice takes approximately 9 hours.
Transport from Košice to Bratislava
Transport from Košice Congress is planned through Žilina (for more information click here Žilina tour) by train. The train journey takes approximately 5 hours and is for 20€. There is also a possibility to skip the program in Žilina and take a plane from Košice to Bratislava instead.
Transport from Congress to Post-congress Krakow (Poland)
Bus transport from Bratislava to Krakow Post-congress is provided by AICA Poland. The number of seats is limited. In a case you are interested, please contact AICA Poland: aicakrakow2013@gmail.com
For the way back after Bratislava Congress we suggest a flight from Wien Schwechat airport.
For the way back after Krakow Post-congress we suggest a flight from Warszaw airport or Wien Schwechat airport.