Behind the Picture: From Yellow to Red and Back Again

Concept author, TG curator: Adam Galko

GG curator: Tamara Kubečková

Authorship: Katarína Vido, Šimon Chovan

The exhibition Behind the Picture brings to the Gočár Gallery the acclaimed educational project of the Turčianska galéria, which was awarded the Biela kocka Jury Prize in 2022 for its exceptionally innovative approach to audience engagement. The Pardubice presentation follows its previous showing in Martin – however, it is expanded with selected works from the Gočár Gallery's collections, thus responding to the different local character and creating a unique dialogue between works from both collections.

The main theme of the exhibition is ochre – one of humanity's oldest colors. Ochre here is not just a color, but also a symbol of earth, memory, landscape, and transformation. The exhibition presents works that explore this color and its symbolism across time, connecting modern collections with contemporary art.

The exhibition will be enhanced by a site-specific interactive installation by Slovak artist Šimon Chovan, who works with ochre as a natural pigment and opens up questions about our relationship with nature, material, and place.

Part of the project is also a catalog, which presents works from the collections of both galleries. Supplemented by playful comic illustrations by artist Katarína Vido, it becomes an imaginary symbolic key "behind the picture," opening the way to stories hidden in the artworks.

Works by the following artists from the collections of Gočár Gallery and Turčianska galéria are represented in the exhibition:

Andrej Barčík, Miloš Alexander Bazovský, Martin Benka, Vladimír Boudník, Karel Černý, Zdeněk Dašek, Želmíra Duchajová-Švehlová, Mikuláš Galanda, František Gross, Jaroslav Grus, Vlastislav Hofman, Josef Istler, Ludmila Jandová, Pravoslav Kotík, Jiří Krejčí, Josef Liesler, Svatopluk Máchal, Dezider Milly, František Muzika, Jan Steklík, Ester Šimerová-Martinčeková, Vojmír Vokolek, Jan Zrzavý, Ján Želibský.

Main organizer: Turčianska galéria v Martine

Co-organizer: Gočárova galerie v Pardubicích