Ceramist and sculptor Jozef Sušienka (1937) returns to the National Gallery after more than 25 years. However, time has not diminished the energy and artistic desire of this committed experimenter and versatile creator.
The exhibition is therefore not only a retrospective of the intense and purposeful journey of one of the fundamental figures of Slovak ceramics (and other) sculpture and design of the second half of the 20th century, but also a record of current works in which the artist continues to create his zen-meditative organic assemblages anchored in natural processes and forces.
Jozef Sušienka is a staunch environmentalist. Since the 1960s - long before ecology became a global challenge and necessity of life - he has cultivated the sensitive interplay between nature, ceramics and man. For him, ceramics naturally belong indoors and outdoors, in the park and in the home, and he allows his works to function variably and openly as sculptures, vessels, fountains, lamps and gravestones. His Boulders, Puffballs, Martians, Owls and Ikebanas are therefore still alive, growing, grouping and multiplying.
June 7 to October 6, 2024
