Resonance in Silence
CREATIVE INITIATIVE FOR RAISING CLIMATE CRISIS AWARENESS
Climate change
and art
The project “Resonance in Silence”, implemented within the programme framework of the Jozef Kollár Gallery, is a creative initiative aimed at raising the awareness of climate change through artistic expression.
In Slovakia, the workshop “Resonance in Silence” took place on 22-24 November 2023 at the Special Primary School in Banská Štiavnica. It was led by Oto Hudec, a visual artist known for his works focused on environmental themes, and Martina Martincová, a prominent gallery educator and curator, who is behind the concept of the workshop and the subsequent exhibition.
In Norway, the talented artist Damian Vega was the leading person in planning and leading the workshop with children from schools in Egersund (1 – 3 December 2023), contributing his unique perspective on art and his ability to connect local and global environmental issues.
Activity description
The activity includes works created at a workshop held with primary school children from Banská Štiavnica. The artworks, reflecting the perception of nature and climate change, will be part of the exhibition “Resonance in Silence”.
Exhibition
The exhibition “Resonance in Silence” will take place at the Jozef Kollár Gallery from mid-March until the end of April 2024. At the exhibition, results of the children’s creative work performed at workshops will be presented together with a documentary film.
Objective of the Activity
The aim is to raise awareness of climate change and promote sensitivity to natural phenomena, using art as a means to communicate these essential themes.
Get to know our artists
Oto Hudec
Oto Hudec is a Slovak multimedia artist who has created and exhibited his recent works in Slovakia, Austria, South Korea, Cabo Verde, Portugal and the USA. He creates videos, murals, animations, sculptures and works for public spaces about immigration, refugees, the climate crisis and the environmental impact of globalisation. His projects often include a utopian perspective as a way to understand food and energy production, tracking the transformation of industrial landscapes or the decline of bees. On the topics of climate change, ecology and sustainability, it focuses on how nomadic and indigenous peoples have achieved this, rather than looking for new scientific solutions.
He has exhibited his work in group exhibitions at the Centre Georges Pompidou (France), Kunsthalle Dusseldorf (Germany), and De Appel Amsterdam. His solo exhibitions could be seen in Prague, Rome, Barcelona, but also in Bratislava and Košice. He often works on projects with children and youth from disadvantaged communities. Since 2013 he has been working on a participatory project with Roma children in Slovakia - Project Karavan together with artist Daniela Krajčová. He is a finalist of the Oskár Čepan Award for Young Artists in Slovakia in 2012 and a member of the Let's Not Waste Time initiative.
Currently he is a teacher at the Faculty of Arts of the Technical University in Košice, where he is the head of the Painting Studio. In 2024, he will represent Slovakia at the Venice Biennale with his project FLOATING ARBORETUM.
Damián Vega
Damián Vega lives and works in Rogaland, Norway. In his work, he examines the industrial landscape from different perspectives and explores the possibilities of re-interpreting local cultural elements.
Technically and conceptually, he relies on graphic work and traditional printmaking, in which he was extensively trained, but he uses different media: drawing, printing, murals, generative visuals, experimental poetry or sound, constantly aiming to create bridges between digital technology and traditional analogue techniques.
In 2015, he moved to Ljubljana, Slovenia, where he realized several group and individual exhibitions of works reflecting the urban landscape motif of the Slovenian capital. In the same year, he won the Art Nalón award in Asturias (Spain) with his project “Industrails”, in which he was inspired by the landscape around the railway lines of the mining valleys in Asturias. The project was also among the finalists of the Josep Albert Mestre Award (Barcelona, 2015). These results prompted Damián to embark on his major project “VERTICAL” - a collection of 50 prints and visuals showcasing the region's mine shafts, culminating in the “VERTICAL” exhibition in 2022 in Gijón, Spain.
Since 2017, he has worked on several projects in Norway, such as “Hillevåg” (Mapping for Vinterlys Light Festival, Stavanger) and the artist residency “FLOM/VODEN 2019” (Dalane region - Rogaland Kunstsenter Stavanger/RKS). He leads the joint art sound project “FLOM” (under the auspices of RKS Stavanger), and was involved in the project “KF21” - three mappings for the regions of Bjerkreim, Sokndal and Egersund during Kulturfest 2021.
Damian's latest exhibition “UMBRAL” (Bryne Kunstforening, 2022) is a compilation of his work over the last years in Norway.
