Gandy Gallery
viennacontemporary 2016

If there was something positive about a regime which restrains any form of freedom of expression, it would be the common activity and effort to delimit oneself against it. In the field of art, this may mean a greater stimulus for a reaction on a current situation, a non-acceptance of established norms or even a specific impact on a direction in the art.
The examples of this tendency are represented by the chosen woman-artists coming from the former Eastern bloc. Jana Želibská (Slovakia), Orshi Drozdik (Hungary) and Zorka Ságlová (Czech Republic) are deemed as very significant figures of their local art scenes from the 1960s until nowadays. Moreover, these three artists are connected not only by the same generation and gender, but also by a similar delimitation against the traditional perception of a woman and her position in the society.
In addition, due to the possibility of confrontation with foreign art scenes on the West these artists could actively respond to current changes and so maintain a certain vividness in their work.
That is also the reason why presented paintings are the unique reflection of their longtime evolution under the influence of social and creative changes.
(Text by Marek Kuchár)