An exhibition in the ÚĽUV Gallery
Jana Rajniaková
By the end of February 2010 the ÚĽUV Gallery in Obchodná Street in Bratislava housed an exhibition Modrotlač / Blue Block Print, which brought back in the past a very popular and widespread but now almost forgotten technique of fabrics dyeing and textile print patterning. Originally, blue woodblock printing of fabrics was used in burghers’ clothing. In the first half of the 19th century these fabrics made their way to folk garments and the interior, which resulted in a considerable spread of textile printing craft. In Slovakia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries distinct regional specifics in patterns were formed. Dyeing of textiles as a handicraft was alive in Slovakia until the mid-20th century.
It was the very diversity of patterns that the author of the exhibit placed At the centre of the exhibit is the diversity of patterns, demonstrated both through traditional utility textiles and various garment components. Contemporary textile print was presented through works by the Trnka couple from the Púchov workshop, as well as by products made by them in collaboration with ÚĽUV designer Eva Kováčová – collections of printed textiles in innovative and modified shapes that have found their applications in modern interior or in fashion show collections.