Štefan Oriško
Regular events – the Slovak Ceramics Today exhibition and symposium in the town of Lučenec – were the main events of the 2007 Slovak Ceramics Year. The exhibition summarised, for the fifth time, current situation in ceramic creation and presented three-year activities performed by the Association of Ceramists. The exhibition presented manifold shapes of ceramics, uniqueness of authors´ concepts and approaches of various generations. Wide scope of concepts, from stern designs to decorative works, from clay objects to ceramic installations, were displayed at the exhibition. How contemporary Slovak ceramic art is presented may be ascribed to the generation of artists who started they career in the 1960s and pursued the concept of equality between ceramic art and fine arts (I. Vanek, J. Marth, J. Sušienka). Continuing hard-to-attained positions of their predecessors, the numerous mid-generation sought to expand the limits of ceramic art (A. Horváthová, I. Vidrová-Langerová). In addition to rather radical innovations, more delicate shifts in author-specific approaches of several visual artists (M. Rudavská, V. Oravec, B. Lunterová, I. Holešovský) were presented. Being replaced by cheap import products, ceramic design is on the decline. It is therefore admirable how systematically I. Markovičová fights the trend. Her works are frequent award-winners, however, they usually remain artistic concepts, unfortunately. Many from the youngest generation of artists – graduates from the ceramic studio at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava displayed their works at the exhibition. Several of them have already won recognition with author-specific concepts (J. Ordódyová, E. Balážová, A. Čepiššáková).
The second regular event in the world of Slovak ceramic art – 19th symposium in Lučenec was organised at the same venue and under same conditions as during previous years. Participants were preparing their artistic concepts in the plant Žiaromat in the town of Kalinovo. The symposium was attended by five artists – P. Strassner, D. Kosová, H. Hlušičková, P. Hoššová, A. Čepiššáková. Despite low number of attendants, final exhibition was full of displayed works. Only the Czechs neighbours were invited due to organisational reasons, so it was again the Czecho-Slovak symposium.