Our students exhibit at the Ján Koniarek Gallery

Power Hidden in the Ordinary

The curatorial concept is based on the theme Politics of the Everyday, which explores how power relations are formed not in major historical events, but directly in our habits, regimes and micro-politics of coexistence. Power is not understood as a distant political act – it appears in small decisions, in the rhythm of the day, in the way we inhabit space or divide our time and attention.

The exhibition also draws attention to the fact that public events are not an independent sphere separated from private lives. On the contrary – they constantly penetrate them and transform the way we experience everyday life.

Intimacy, rituals and small disruptions

The photographic works capture intimate moments of sadness, silence, uncertainty and small celebrations that are born in completely ordinary situations. Here, everyday life appears not only as a structure determining boundaries and customs, but also as a space for personal experience. The works bring to light the fragile layers of reality that shape our relationship to the world and to each other.

The diversity of approaches, from documentary recording to staged photography to intermedia experiments, opens up different poetics of looking at the same theme. Here, the camera is not just a tool of representation, but an active means that co-creates social reality and makes visible infrastructures, relationships, and informal rules that otherwise remain invisible.

The curatorial process

“I selected the works that most convincingly communicated the theme of everyday life in its relationship to habit, care, and public space,” explains curator Peter Lančarič. The final selection was made in dialogue with educators from all participating studios. Not only the thematic coherence or consistency of the series was assessed, but also the quality of craftsmanship, installation potential, and a wider variety of approaches.

The project is also the result of the students’ collective work. It includes the entire process of creating an exhibition, from selecting works and drafting the curatorial text, through printing and adjustment, to the installation itself and a public discussion about photography as a medium of social commentary.

Lančarič adds that the aim of the project is to support students' creative competences, their ability to work in teams, and at the same time to strengthen awareness of the UCM Faculty of Fine Arts as a space for the systematic development of artistic thinking, visual literacy, and social sensitivity.

A space that gives voice to young art

The Ján Koniarek Gallery, under the leadership of director Adrian Kobetič, has long been dedicated to presenting young contemporary art. The programmatic use of the Synagogue towers as a space for new creative approaches has enabled UCM student works to be presented in a renowned institution that systematically supports the development of contemporary artistic practices in the region.

Authors

Monika Richterová • Michal Čajka • Monika Cigániková • Nina Pagáčová • Kristína Dubovická • Emma Vavrincová • Juraj Petruš • Kamil Genčúr • Dominika Butková • Tereza Váleková • Kristína Svítok Mayerová • Magdaléna Tomalová • Ivana Galat • Lea Tomášková • Daniil Dolidudko • Zuzana Ordzovenská • Samuel Sczyrzicki • Petra Gajdošová

The project was created in cooperation with three studios of the Department of Artistic Communication at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Cracow – the Studio of Communication in the Medium of Photography, the Creative-Experimental Studio and the Studio of Applied Photography – and was curated by Peter Lančarič.