Bienále forma 2025

The Slovak Union of Visual Arts cordially invites you to the opening of the 9th edition of the Biennale Forma, which will take place on September 17 at 5 p.m. in the new pavilion of the Umelka Gallery, at Dostojevského rade 2 in Bratislava.

The Biennale Forma is one of the most important platforms for presenting contemporary Slovak applied art. Since its inception as a long-term project of the Slovak Fine Arts Union, it has been mapping developments in this field and recording current trends across disciplines – from jewelry, glass, textiles, ceramics, and graphic arts to design, interior design, and small architecture. Each year, it becomes a unique chronicle of artistic and design work from the past period, reflecting not only aesthetic and technological shifts, but also broader social issues.

The ninth edition, which will take place this year at the Umelka Gallery in Bratislava, is groundbreaking in this regard. For the first time, it focuses thematically on inclusive design – an area that goes beyond the scope of a typical exhibition presentation and aims to make art accessible to everyone, especially visually impaired and blind viewers. The works are accompanied by audio guides, which not only broadens the spectrum of visitors but also the very understanding of the function of applied art. Inclusion thus becomes both a creative challenge and an ethical commitment.

This year’s curatorial team consists of a pair with different backgrounds – theorist Mgr. Vanessa Ďurovičová and artist Mgr. art Soňa Sadílková, Art.D. Their collaboration allows for a more sensitive selection of works and a more complex spatial solution for the installation, which reflects the needs of viewers while preserving the artistic value of the presented works. The exhibition is designed to reveal the relationship between material and body, function and aesthetics, tradition and innovation.

This year, a total of 25 artists and designers applied. The jury selected the 13 most interesting authors: Zuzana Budzaková, Michaela Bujňáková, Pavol Capik, Chiara Helységová, Lucia Krnčanová, Adam Kukuc, Laura Lauffová, Kristína Ligačová, Benjamin Podoba, Tatiana Poljak, Jaroslava Poljaková, Maja Šilberská, and Petra Šištíková.