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Slash and Burn
Event by: Galéria Medium / Medium Gallery
Exhibitions
About event
Slash and Burn
Roberta Andrášková, Filip Bielek, Tomáš Červenka, Michal Golák, Martin Hrvol, Anna Mihoková, Simona Novická, Anabela Ralbovská, Juraj Rattaj, Samuel Šošovička
Curation / Curators: Adam Galko, Alexandra Kadlečík Smolková
Opening / Exhibition Opening: Thursday, 23.4.2026, 18:00
24.4. – 24/05/2026
Medium Gallery / Medium Gallery
The term "Slash and Burn" originally refers to a traditional agricultural technique in which the land is prepared for a new crop by burning and uprooting old growth. This procedure has an encoded ambivalence: on the one hand, fire enriches the soil with nutrients and creates space for new growth, on the other hand, it fundamentally disrupts the existing ecosystem and, if repeated, leads to the gradual depletion of the soil. Today, this term exceeds its original meaning. It has become a metaphor for our culture, which has adopted the logic of constant burning and replacement - products, relationships, places and even one's own identities - in the belief that the new is always better than what was.
The exhibition presents the works of graduates, as well as students of the Department of Sculpture, an object, an installation at VŠVU in Bratislava, whose work is united by an intermedial sensitivity to material transformation and a critical examination of the interface between the natural cycle, urban environment and new technologies. Their joint direction is defined by work with material memory, recycling and the search for a balance between the stability of the form and the inexorable process of wear and tear.
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The term “Slash and Burn” originally refers to a traditional agricultural technique in which the soil is prepared for a new crop by burning and clearing old vegetation. This process embodies an inherent ambivalence: on the one hand, fire enriches the soil with nutrients and creates space for new growth; on the other hand, it fundamentally disrupts the existing ecosystem and, when repeated, leads to the gradual depletion of the soil. Today, this term transcends its original meaning. It has become a metaphor for our culture, which has embraced the logic of constantly discarding and replacing—products, relationships, places, and even our own identities—in the belief that the new is always better than what came before.
The exhibition presents works by graduates and current students of the Department of Sculpture, Object, and Installation at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, whose practice is characterized by an intermediate sensitivity to material transformation and a critical exploration of the interfaces between natural cycles, the urban environment, and new technologies. Their shared direction is defined by working with the memory of materials, recycling, and the search for a balance between the stability of form and the relentless process of wear and decay.
This project was financially supported by the Bratislava self-governing region. / This project was financially supported by the Bratislava Self-Governing Region.
The project was co-financed by a grant from VGS VŠVU. / Project was funded by VGS grant of the AFAD.
Roberta Andrášková, Filip Bielek, Tomáš Červenka, Michal Golák, Martin Hrvol, Anna Mihoková, Simona Novická, Anabela Ralbovská, Juraj Rattaj, Samuel Šošovička
Curation / Curators: Adam Galko, Alexandra Kadlečík Smolková
Opening / Exhibition Opening: Thursday, 23.4.2026, 18:00
24.4. – 24/05/2026
Medium Gallery / Medium Gallery
The term "Slash and Burn" originally refers to a traditional agricultural technique in which the land is prepared for a new crop by burning and uprooting old growth. This procedure has an encoded ambivalence: on the one hand, fire enriches the soil with nutrients and creates space for new growth, on the other hand, it fundamentally disrupts the existing ecosystem and, if repeated, leads to the gradual depletion of the soil. Today, this term exceeds its original meaning. It has become a metaphor for our culture, which has adopted the logic of constant burning and replacement - products, relationships, places and even one's own identities - in the belief that the new is always better than what was.
The exhibition presents the works of graduates, as well as students of the Department of Sculpture, an object, an installation at VŠVU in Bratislava, whose work is united by an intermedial sensitivity to material transformation and a critical examination of the interface between the natural cycle, urban environment and new technologies. Their joint direction is defined by work with material memory, recycling and the search for a balance between the stability of the form and the inexorable process of wear and tear.
/
The term “Slash and Burn” originally refers to a traditional agricultural technique in which the soil is prepared for a new crop by burning and clearing old vegetation. This process embodies an inherent ambivalence: on the one hand, fire enriches the soil with nutrients and creates space for new growth; on the other hand, it fundamentally disrupts the existing ecosystem and, when repeated, leads to the gradual depletion of the soil. Today, this term transcends its original meaning. It has become a metaphor for our culture, which has embraced the logic of constantly discarding and replacing—products, relationships, places, and even our own identities—in the belief that the new is always better than what came before.
The exhibition presents works by graduates and current students of the Department of Sculpture, Object, and Installation at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, whose practice is characterized by an intermediate sensitivity to material transformation and a critical exploration of the interfaces between natural cycles, the urban environment, and new technologies. Their shared direction is defined by working with the memory of materials, recycling, and the search for a balance between the stability of form and the relentless process of wear and decay.
This project was financially supported by the Bratislava self-governing region. / This project was financially supported by the Bratislava Self-Governing Region.
The project was co-financed by a grant from VGS VŠVU. / Project was funded by VGS grant of the AFAD.