Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
—
Denisa Lehocká
Denisa Lehocká 2012
Having been included in SNG’s exhibition plan, the monographic exhibition of Denisa Lehocká establishes a precedent, since monographic expositions of artists from the younger and middle generations are quite rare for SNG. Such approach does not demonstrate SNG’s cautiousness; rather, it arises from the institution’s status of a national gallery that neither wants to, nor should, present itself as a Kunsthalle. Instead, its role is to act as a museum establishing collections of visual arts, respecting verification and preservation of artistic values. However, at the beginning of 2010, SNG’s curators agreed that once in two years, it was necessary to incorporate in the exhibition plan also a monographic exhibition of an artist, whose career has not yet been finalised, one that is asking questions about the classic, modern and contemporary art, with the potential to become a partner for dialogue with these arts. The decision was also supported by the success of the Loop project by Roman Ondák, which was received positively at the 2009 Venice Biennale, where it was presented in cooperation with SNG. In a similar fashion to Ondák’s exhibition, the exposition of Denisa Lehocká is also not a retrospective. This time again, SNG initiated the birth of a new work that is being created with its contribution.
Concept of the exhibition
The installation created by Denisa Lehocká for this exhibition in SNG takes up one entire floor of the Esterházyho Palace. The project itself is composed in a fashion similar to most of the author’s other works – it is a spatial collage combined with re-evaluation of space / architecture. Being a complex installation, it comprises of Lehocká’s drawings, paintings, objects, but also drawing tools, gallery installation components, as well as selected collection items from the Slovak National Gallery: a table designed by architect Dušan Samuel Jurkovič, or seats from architect Ján Nemec, who is the author of SNG’s interior design together with architect Vladimír Dedeček. All of these and other items together with randomly found natural objects constitute one whole.
Denisa Lehocká’s work is characteristic for its free creation in space, however, it is neither a paraphrase nor a metaphor of the surrounding world’s relations, nor is it an autobiographic confession; rather, it stands as their visual transformation. Even though all of her works have a strong autobiographic element, they tend towards a more
Biography
Born 1971 in Trenčin, lives and works in Bratislava, SK
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025
Untitled 2025, Lombardi—Kargl, Vienna
2023
Lehocká for National Gallery, Tatra banka Donation for SNG Collections, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
POINT, Georg Kargl Fine Arts, Vienna
2021
untitled, Kunsthalle Bratislava, Bratislava
2021, Collective, Bratislava, Bratislava
2018
Futura, Prague
2016
Luno 550, Fait galerie, Brno
Gandy Gallery, Bratislava
2015
Dite, Dům Umění, České Budějovice
2014
Denisa Lehocká and Eva Kotakova, Hunt Kastner, Prague
2013
Denisa Lehocká, Sammlung Friedrichshof, Vienna
2012
Denisa Lehocká 2012, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
2011
Try to describe the colour of pure (still) water, my dear., Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe
2010
Denisa Lehocká 1991-2010, GJK, Trnava
2009
no places no frontiers, Dominik art project, Krakow
tranzit, Bratislava
2008
Austrian Cultural Institute, Prague
2005
Moravská galerie, Brno
Landscape, with Boris Ondreička, BAK, Basis voor Actuele Kunst, Utrecht
2001
Galerie MXM, Prague
2000
Múzeum V. Löfflera, Košice
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
The Neurobiology of Love, Krupa Art Foundation, Wrocław
2024
Reversed Objects, Ludwig Múzeum, Budapest
Body at Play, Georg Kargl BOX, Vienna
2023
Hard/Soft Textil und Keramik in der zeitgenössischen Kunst, MAK, Vienna
2022
I Had a Dog and a Cat, curated by Hana Ostan Ozbolt, Georg Kargl Fine Arts, Vienna
Twilight Zone / Material Narratives, Kunstverein Eisenstadt, Eisenstadt
2021
The Trafo-Clique. Material Narratives, Kunstverein Eisenstadt, Eisenstadt
2020
_SNÍVAJ!?_ / DREAM!?, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
2019
Sleeping with a Vengeance, Dreaming of a Life, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart
Transmediale, Import Projects and HKW, Berlin
2018
Women on paper, Espace de l’art Concret, Mouans-Sartoux
2017
Empire of The Senseless, Meetfactory, Prague
TŘETÍ MYSL. Jiří Kovanda a (Ne)možnost spolupráce, National Gallery Prague, Prague
2015
The school of Kyiv, Kyiv Biennial, Kyiv
Thirtyone, KUG, Priština
Skrytá řeč rostlin, National Gallery Prague, Prague
The Soft Codes, Wroclaw Contemporary Museum, Wroclaw
2014
Report on the Construction of a Spaceship Module, New Museum, NYC
On Generation and Corruption, BWA Contemporary Art Gallery/Galeria Sztuki Wspolczesnej, Katowice
2013
Lapidárium, Galerie Jaroslava Frganera, Prague
2010
...and don't forget the flowers, Moravská galerie, Brno
2009
Gender Check, MUMOK, Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna
2008
Cutting Realities - Gender Strategies in Art, Austrian Cultural Forum, NYC
Mediation Biennale 8, ZAMEK Culture Centre, Poznaň
Family Affairs, Kunstverein Ulm
Re-Reading the Future, International Triennale of Contemporary Art, National Gallery Prague, Prague
Micronarratives, Museum of Modern Art, St. Etienne
2007
Form Follows Risk, Futura, Prague / Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
48th October Salon - Temptation of small realities – micro-communities, Belgrade Cultural Center, Belgrade
2006
Auditorium, Stage, Backstage, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt am Main
Narratives - 35/65+: Two Generations, Kunsthaus Graz Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz
Kontakt, MUMOK, Stiftung Ludwig Vienna AT & tranzit workshops, Bratislava
2005
The Giving Person, Palazzo delle arti Napoli, Naples
2004
Stadt In Sicht, Kunstlerhaus, Vienna
Anxiety of Influence, Stadtgalerie Bern, Bern
Cordially Invited, BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht
2003
Now What? On Hope and Other Misunderstanding, BAK, Basis voor Actuele Kunst, Utrecht
2002
Fragile, Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon
Nomad, Brugs Cultuurcentrum, Brugge
Women Of The World, White Columns, NYC
Pass me the Butterfly, DUMBO Art Cener, NYC
2001
Event. Image. Clone, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn
2000
Body-Space / Nets and other creations, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel
borderline sydrome / energies of denfence, Manifesta 3, Lublijana
1999
Slovak Art for Free, 48. Biennale di Venezia: Pavilion of Slovak Republic, Venice
1996
60/90, 4th Annual exhibition of SCCA Slovakia, Soros Centers for Contemporary Art, Bratislava
Biblio (Selection)
Denisa Lehocká, Collective, SK, 2022
Denisa Lehocká, Schlebrügge, AT, 2014
Denisa Lehocká, Slovenská národná galéria, SK, 2012
Denisa Lehocká, tranzit.sk, SK, 2009
Collections (Selection)
Kontakt, Erste Bank Group Collection, Vienna
EVN Collection, Vienna
Sammlung Friedrichshof, Vienna, ATEuropean Investment Bank, Luxembourg
Fiorucci Art Trust, Monaco & London
Societé Generale, Paris
The Daniel and Florence Guerlain Collection, Les Mesnuls
Fait, Brno
Artfond, Bratislava
Collective Collection, Bratislava
Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
NG, Nitra
PGU, Žilina
GJK, Trnava
And private: Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Germany, France, Monaco, Belgium, Japan, UK, USA
Residencies, Awards, Grants
2021
Startstipendium für Fotografie, Bmkoes
Wojda Residency, Steinbrunn
2019
Moriumius Resideny, Ishinomaki
Landxcapes Visual Art, Bjcem
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