Two years ago me and Mária led the VVV studio at the Department of Intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava.
In the early morning hours of the first day with our students, there came the articles about the Russian invasion of Ukraine – the first day of the war that still, after more than two years, goes on. On that day we found our students silent, crying, mourning. Whatever plan we had for that day changed into a single question: How and what to teach on the day when the war broke out? The invasion of Ukraine changed and affected the whole winter term. We both teach and practice critical thinking. And critical thinking means reflecting in context. In this case the context was the geographical vicinity to the war in the neighbouring country. Therefore, to continue with the teaching plan as we’d imagined it was never an option.
Our days in the studio changed into lessons when we were learning together how to remain with sadness and mourning along with love and in joy – how to keep all these antagonistic emotions at the same time in us, in our bodies. Not to try to suppress sadness and mourning, replace or pretend it does not exist – like many modern institutions require – or let sadness be the only emotion that does not leave any space for love or joy. We were learning how to be in antagonism, even in the artistic creation. When I come to think about it today, I guess this is what I was learning during all the Mária’s lessons when I was her student in Utrecht. Today she is my friend.
Two months ago, another cruel war, war in Palestine, broke out. This time we both found ourselves in a different geographical place, but in our phone calls and discussions we vented our anger, frustration from the art milieu and educational institutions that overtly take part in erasing the histories of the oppressed people around the world. We shared our doubts of the art milieu – not about the artistic creation in which we both believe –, but of the ecosystem formed by the art milieu and its institutions. We also talked about love towards art we both cherish, about art that can be both nurture and livelihood and that, in times of personal, social and political tribulations becomes not only a safe haven, but also a tool of self-preservation.
It is easy to find information about the projects that Mária worked on, took part in or launched, the projects that proves her professional value. Those are, however, not a reason why I find pleasure in working with Mária. Her uniqueness, not only in the art world, lies in her sincerity and sincere interest in students and art, in integrity that feels almost unwavering, although she is in the position of power, in the ability to inspire people, especially in times when they feel that any effort is vain. Not because she would try to convince people – with here innate charisma – about some dogmatic truth of her approach toward art and artistic creation, but because her view on art she believes in and fights for resonates with people. She touches something in them that they have sensed, but haven’t been able to put into words. She does not want them to follow this trembling sense, but as soon as it’s felt, it’s nearly impossible to ignore it.
Mária Hlavajova is the founder and artistic director of BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht since 2000, and artistic director of FORMER WEST (2008–2016), which she initiated and developed as an international collaborative research, education, publication, and exhibition undertaking.
From 2008-2016 she was the research and artistic director of the collaborative research, exhibition and education project FORMER WEST, which culminated in the publication Former West: Art and the Contemporary After 1989. Her curatorial work includes Call the Witness, Roma Pavilion, 54. Venice Biennale, 2011; Citizens and Subjects, Dutch Pavilion, 52. Venice Biennale, 2007; and Borderline Syndrome: Energies of Defence, Manifesta 3, Ljubljana, 2000. He is a lecturer at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht. In addition to the above, she is co-founder of the tranzit.org network. She was a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Cultural Foundation, Amsterdam, and of the Advisory Boards of Assembly Bergen, Bergen and IMAGINART Imagining Institution Otherwise: art, politics and state transformation, University of Amsterdam. He lives and works in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
