With: Edit András
(art historian), Maja & Reuben Fowkes (editors/art
historians), Ferenc Gróf (artist), Ilona
Németh (editor/artist), Olja Triaška Stefanovic
(photographer/artist),
Moderation: Walter Seidl (curator)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * The event will be held in English.
For the book presentation the 3G rule applies. *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * Through critical texts, conversations,
and artistic interventions, the book restores complexity to the history
of the rapid decline of the Slovak sugar industry, and by extension the
wider social and economic infrastructures of transition in Central Europe.
This book takes as its starting point contemporary artist Ilona Németh´s
extensive research into the history of sugar production in Slovakia, from
its beginnings in the early 19th century, when northern sugar beet emerged
as a competitor to southern sugar cane, to the social impact of the rapid
decline of the industry in the era of peak globalization.
The book, named after the owner group of the former largest sugar factory
in Slovakia, is the starting point for a transnational art project, implemented
by institutions in six different countries, within the context of the
EU programme Creative Europe. In this frame, < rotor > in Graz is
currently presenting the art exhibition "SUGAR. Industrial Heritage
and Colonialism". * * * * * * * * * * * * * * EASTERN SUGAR,
a project co-funded by the programme Creative Europe of the European Union
and implemented by the Slovak National Gallery in cooperation
with partners: < rotor > centre for contemporary art (AT),
Centre for Contemporary Art FUTURA (CZ), Schafhof – European Center for Art Upper Bavaria (DE),
La Box gallery of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Art
(FR), T-TUDOK Inc., Centre for Knowledge Management and
Educational Research (HU),
and associated partners – Kunsthalle Bratislava (SK),
Muzeum Sztuki Lódž (PL). www.easternsugar.eu
Co-funded by:
Project funding for Ilona Németh's
contribution to the exhibition:
The Eastern Sugar book, Photo:
Martin Deko, SNG.
