Maria Bartuszová – Being Nature
Soon in Mirbach Palace
“I want to work with clean principles. I believe that shapes, in and of themselves, have a powerful psychological impact – for example: angular, sharp, inorganic shapes convey a sense of coldness; rounded, organic shapes convey warmth; and touching rounded shapes can evoke a feeling of a tenderness, an embrace – perhaps even erotic sensations.” / Maria Bartuszová
The exhibition uses a holistic approach to explore the theme of humanity’s relationship with nature. It examines abstract, geometric, and biomorphic forms, while reflecting on themes of ecology and feminism. Nature was an essential part of the artist's creative thinking; the idea of the world as an infinite space, a universe that expresses itself imaginatively. From the beginning of her career as a sculptress, Maria Bartuszová (1936–1996) focused on natural phenomena and cycles, such as rain, wind, and, later, melting snow. She embodied their changeable and ephemeral nature, their movement, temporality, rhythm, and power, sculpting them into solid, fixed forms and masses in the shapes of raindrops, grains, and eggs.
The exhibition focuses on key tactile puzzles made of plaster, as well as of aluminium and bronze, that are designed to be touched and assembled. It also presents Bartuszová as a sculptress who produced works for public spaces, particularly in eastern Slovakia, including in Košice, Rožňava, Revúca, Tatranská Lomnica, and Vyšné Ružbachy. Haptic puzzles attained their full significance during some of the first workshops of their kind in our country. Organised and documented by Gabriel Kladek in 1976 and 1983, they were designed for visually impaired children at the Primary School for the Visually Impaired in Levoča. The exhibition therefore cultivates a performative perception of art through workshop activities that demonstrate Bartuszová's intention to create art connected to everyday life.
Gabriela Garlatyová
The works presented at the exhibition are from the private collections and from the collections of following institutions:
The Estate of Maria Bartuszová, Košice and The Archive of Maria Bartuszová, Košice
Bratislava City Gallery
The Art Collection of the First Slovak Investment Group
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
Kontakt. The Art Collection of Erste Group and ERSTE Foundation, Vienna
East Slovak Gallery, Košice
Bratislava City Gallery
The Art Collection of the First Slovak Investment Group
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
Kontakt. The Art Collection of Erste Group and ERSTE Foundation, Vienna
East Slovak Gallery, Košice