GUESTBOOK. Gallery visitor of 21. century

The project Stipend of Radislav Matuštík by the City Gallery of Bratislava is aimed on support to curator practise of students of art-science and artistic specialisations on the gallery’s premises. Winner of the fifth annual of the Stipend is the project by Mária Gmitrová and Michaela Truhlíková, students of the second year at the Department of Art-History at the FF UK in Bratislava with the title GUESTBOOK, Visitor of the 21st century gallery. In the project the authors concentrate on the visitor by the means of analysing of guest-books of chosen contemporary art exhibitions which took place after the year 2000 in various Slovak galleries (Slovak National Gallery, City Gallery of Bratislava, Gallery of Nitra, Považská Art Gallery in Žilina and Middle-Slovakian Gallery in Banská Bystrica). The subjects of the exhibition become the curiosities from the books and in this way their sighting is declassified not only to curators but also to public.

The character of the exhibition creates an ideal quality stressing cycle. Because it is the visitor who takes part in the creation of the guestbook, he also becomes a co-author of a creation, which he goes to see in the gallery again as a visitor. In this way the idea is accented, that also a “receiver” of art can become its creator. The exhibition includes also a citizens’ dimension, underlining the importance of each publicly expressed opinion. It is possible, that the visitors will find their own comment or opinion on a different exhibition they thought it stayed unnoticed or long forgotten. The intention of the exhibition is to show, that the guest-books enable the connection between the author/curator and the lay public and they represent one of few known responds. It does not matter in which way this occasion is used. Signature, scribble or a critical opinion represent a reaction which does not stay without a notice.