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COČ 2025: Nesúťažím v umení, ale vyhrávam / Art is not a competition, but I'm winning
COČ 2025: Art is not a competition, but I'm winning
Event by: Cena Oskára Čepana
Location: Ján Koniarek Gallery, Zelený kríčok 598, Trnava
Talks & discussions, Exhibitions
About event
I don't compete in art, but I win
Exhibition opening
Oskár Čepan Award 2025
Nikola Balberčáková
Ráchel Jutka
Ľuboš Kotlár
COČ 2025 laureates Nikola Balberčáková, Ráchel Jutka and Ľuboš Kotlár will present their works at a joint exhibition, the opening of which will take place December 12, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the Koppel villa in the Ján Koniark Gallery in Trnava.
This year, the works of the COČ laureate expand generously and create complex environments that take lessons from the seemingly endless possibilities of the digital world and its experience limited by human capacities. All three are united by an interest in affects, emotions and feelings in various shades and intensities accelerated by the (im)possibility of escaping from technology, a desire to find kinship, a certain kind of community, which is also reflected in the collaborative approach in their work.
—
51 artists applied for this year's Oskar Čepan Prize. The entrants' portfolios presented a wide range of media and topics, often with a strong emphasis on collaboration. They demonstrate both the interconnectedness of the scene, but also the tendency towards de-individualization of the creative process. This year's international jury is again made up of top experts and experts in contemporary art Erin Li (CHN/HK; she is a curator at the Delfina Foundation in London, where she runs residencies, exhibitions and a program for the public; previously she worked at the Whitechapel Gallery; her curatorial practice deals with live art and live culture, from street dance to fermentation), Christina Li (HK/NL; she is a curator and author living in Amsterdam in The Netherlands; currently the artistic director of the Kim Association, the Asian transnational art initiative of the Yenna Alan Lo Foundation; she is the curator of the Pilvi Takala presentation at the 59th Venice Biennale and the Hong Kong presentation of Shirley Tse's work at the 58th Venice Biennale), Piotr Sikora (PL/CZ; originally from Krakow; is a member of the Polish section of the International Art Critics Association); lives and works in Prague; in her curatorial practice she is inspired by sauna culture, mycology and kitsch; she co-curates the art-themed show GASTROFAZA; she raises two sons and obsessively cycles, and Nathalie Anglès is the executive director and co-founder of Residency Unlimited (RU); before founding Residency Unlimited in 2009, Nathalie worked in various curatorial and administrative positions as Sotheby's (London), Department of Impressionist and Modern Art in Paris, at the École nationale des Beaux-arts (ENSBA); In 2008, Nathalie was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters). cooperation with the Ján Koniark Gallery in Trnava.
Exhibition curator: Miroslava Urbanová
Production and coordination: Petra Nela Pučeková
Visual identity: Matúš Buranovský
PR and exhibition architecture: Miroslava Urbanová
Exhibition architecture assistance: Alžbeta Lišková
Installation team: Jozef Pilát, Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Video: Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Music in the video: Michal Dore
Photos: Lena Gallovičová, Michaela Prablesková
DJ Kristie Kardio will play during the opening.
The exhibition will be open until March 1, 2026.
—
The Oskar Čepan Award was established in 1996 by the American foundation Trust for Mutual Understanding. It is part of the international Young Visual Artists award network Awards. Since 2001, the project has been implemented with the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding, and since 2016, the project serves to support contemporary art and its creators. The age limit for participation in the project is 40 years Visual Artists Awards, organized in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Oskár Čepan (1925 – 1992) was a critic and theoretician of visual arts with a broad scope and penetrating perspective, dedicated editor and anthologist, erudite and perceptive author of texts about contemporary Slovak visual arts, philosopher, theorist, historian and critic his texts are still up-to-date and surprisingly accurate.
—
Organizer: Foundation – Center for Contemporary Art
Co-organizer: collective art support platform
Partners: Tatra banka Foundation, Sovereign Invest Foundation, Residency Unlimited, YVAA, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Ján Koniarka Gallery, Otherness Film Festival
This project is implemented with financial support supported by the Trnava Autonomous Region.
Media partners: Artalk, Rádio Devín
/
Art is not a Competition, but I'm winning
Oskár Čepan Award 2025
Nikola Balberčáková
Ráchel Jutka
Ľuboš Kotlár
On Friday, December 12, 2025 at 7pm at Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava (Koppel's villa) the laureates Nikola Balberčáková, Ráchel Jutka and Ľuboš Kotlár will present their works in a group exhibition at Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava (Koppel's villa).
This year, the works of the COČ laureates are expanding generously and creating complex environments that draw lessons from the seemingly endless possibilities of the digital world and its experience limited by human capacities. All three share an interest in affects, emotions, and feelings in various shades and intensities accelerated by the (im)possibility of escaping technology, a desire to find kinship, a certain kind of community, which is also reflected in the collaborative approach in their work.
—
Fifty-one artists applied for this year's Oskar Čepan Award strong emphasis on collaboration. They demonstrate both the interconnectedness of the scene and a tendency towards the de-individualization of the creative process. This year's international jury is again composed of leading experts in contemporary art Erin Li (CHN/HK; curator at the Delfina Foundation in London, where she runs residencies, exhibitions, and public programs; previously worked at the Whitechapel Gallery; her curatorial practice focuses on live art and live culture, from street dance to fermentation). Christina Li (HK/NL; curator and author living in Amsterdam, Netherlands; currently the artistic director of the Kim Association, an Asian transnational art initiative of the Yenna Alan Lo Foundation in Singapore; she curated Pilvi Takala's presentation at the Finnish national pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale and Shirley Tse's Hong Kong presentation at the 58th Venice Biennale), Piotr Sikora (PL/CZ; originally from Krakow; member of the Polish section of the International Association of Art Critics; lives and works in Prague; in his curatorial practice, he draws inspiration from sauna culture, mycology, and kitsch; he co-curates the art-themed reality show GASTROFAZA; he is raising two sons and is an avid cyclist), and Nathalie Anglès (FR/USA; Anglès is the executive director and co-founder of Residency Unlimited (RU); Before founding Residency Unlimited in 2009, Nathalie worked in various curatorial and administrative positions at institutions such as Sotheby's (London), Impressionist and Modern Art Department; American Center, the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (ENSBA); and the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs (UCAD); In 2008, Nathalie was awarded the French government's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts and Letters. Urbanová
Coordination and production: Petra Nela Pučeková
Visual identity: Matúš Buranovský
PR and exhibition architecture: Miroslava Urbanová
Exhibition architecture assistance: Alžbeta Lišková
Installation team: Jozef Pilát, Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Video: Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Music in the video: Michal Dore
Photography: Lena Gallovičová, Michaela Prablesková
DJ Kristie Kardio will play at the opening.
The exhibition will be open until March 1, 2026.
—
The Oskár Čepan Award was established in 1996 through the initiative of the American foundation Trust for Mutual Understanding. Since 2001, the project has been implemented by the Center for Contemporary Art Foundation with the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding, and since 2016, in collaboration with Unlimited. The award aims to support contemporary visual art and its creators. The age limit for participation is 40 years. devoted editor and anthologist, an erudite and receptive author of texts about contemporary Slovak visual art, a philosopher, theoretician, historian and critic. He played an essential role in the Slovak history of visual art of the 20th century, and his texts are still valid and surprisingly accurate today. partners
Partners: Tatra banka Foundation, Sovereign Invest Foundation, Residency Unlimited, YVAA, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Filmový festival inakosti
This project was financially supported by Trnava Self-Governing Region.
Media partners: Artalk, Rádio Devín
Exhibition opening
Oskár Čepan Award 2025
Nikola Balberčáková
Ráchel Jutka
Ľuboš Kotlár
COČ 2025 laureates Nikola Balberčáková, Ráchel Jutka and Ľuboš Kotlár will present their works at a joint exhibition, the opening of which will take place December 12, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the Koppel villa in the Ján Koniark Gallery in Trnava.
This year, the works of the COČ laureate expand generously and create complex environments that take lessons from the seemingly endless possibilities of the digital world and its experience limited by human capacities. All three are united by an interest in affects, emotions and feelings in various shades and intensities accelerated by the (im)possibility of escaping from technology, a desire to find kinship, a certain kind of community, which is also reflected in the collaborative approach in their work.
—
51 artists applied for this year's Oskar Čepan Prize. The entrants' portfolios presented a wide range of media and topics, often with a strong emphasis on collaboration. They demonstrate both the interconnectedness of the scene, but also the tendency towards de-individualization of the creative process. This year's international jury is again made up of top experts and experts in contemporary art Erin Li (CHN/HK; she is a curator at the Delfina Foundation in London, where she runs residencies, exhibitions and a program for the public; previously she worked at the Whitechapel Gallery; her curatorial practice deals with live art and live culture, from street dance to fermentation), Christina Li (HK/NL; she is a curator and author living in Amsterdam in The Netherlands; currently the artistic director of the Kim Association, the Asian transnational art initiative of the Yenna Alan Lo Foundation; she is the curator of the Pilvi Takala presentation at the 59th Venice Biennale and the Hong Kong presentation of Shirley Tse's work at the 58th Venice Biennale), Piotr Sikora (PL/CZ; originally from Krakow; is a member of the Polish section of the International Art Critics Association); lives and works in Prague; in her curatorial practice she is inspired by sauna culture, mycology and kitsch; she co-curates the art-themed show GASTROFAZA; she raises two sons and obsessively cycles, and Nathalie Anglès is the executive director and co-founder of Residency Unlimited (RU); before founding Residency Unlimited in 2009, Nathalie worked in various curatorial and administrative positions as Sotheby's (London), Department of Impressionist and Modern Art in Paris, at the École nationale des Beaux-arts (ENSBA); In 2008, Nathalie was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters). cooperation with the Ján Koniark Gallery in Trnava.
Exhibition curator: Miroslava Urbanová
Production and coordination: Petra Nela Pučeková
Visual identity: Matúš Buranovský
PR and exhibition architecture: Miroslava Urbanová
Exhibition architecture assistance: Alžbeta Lišková
Installation team: Jozef Pilát, Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Video: Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Music in the video: Michal Dore
Photos: Lena Gallovičová, Michaela Prablesková
DJ Kristie Kardio will play during the opening.
The exhibition will be open until March 1, 2026.
—
The Oskar Čepan Award was established in 1996 by the American foundation Trust for Mutual Understanding. It is part of the international Young Visual Artists award network Awards. Since 2001, the project has been implemented with the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding, and since 2016, the project serves to support contemporary art and its creators. The age limit for participation in the project is 40 years Visual Artists Awards, organized in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Oskár Čepan (1925 – 1992) was a critic and theoretician of visual arts with a broad scope and penetrating perspective, dedicated editor and anthologist, erudite and perceptive author of texts about contemporary Slovak visual arts, philosopher, theorist, historian and critic his texts are still up-to-date and surprisingly accurate.
—
Organizer: Foundation – Center for Contemporary Art
Co-organizer: collective art support platform
Partners: Tatra banka Foundation, Sovereign Invest Foundation, Residency Unlimited, YVAA, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Ján Koniarka Gallery, Otherness Film Festival
This project is implemented with financial support supported by the Trnava Autonomous Region.
Media partners: Artalk, Rádio Devín
/
Art is not a Competition, but I'm winning
Oskár Čepan Award 2025
Nikola Balberčáková
Ráchel Jutka
Ľuboš Kotlár
On Friday, December 12, 2025 at 7pm at Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava (Koppel's villa) the laureates Nikola Balberčáková, Ráchel Jutka and Ľuboš Kotlár will present their works in a group exhibition at Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava (Koppel's villa).
This year, the works of the COČ laureates are expanding generously and creating complex environments that draw lessons from the seemingly endless possibilities of the digital world and its experience limited by human capacities. All three share an interest in affects, emotions, and feelings in various shades and intensities accelerated by the (im)possibility of escaping technology, a desire to find kinship, a certain kind of community, which is also reflected in the collaborative approach in their work.
—
Fifty-one artists applied for this year's Oskar Čepan Award strong emphasis on collaboration. They demonstrate both the interconnectedness of the scene and a tendency towards the de-individualization of the creative process. This year's international jury is again composed of leading experts in contemporary art Erin Li (CHN/HK; curator at the Delfina Foundation in London, where she runs residencies, exhibitions, and public programs; previously worked at the Whitechapel Gallery; her curatorial practice focuses on live art and live culture, from street dance to fermentation). Christina Li (HK/NL; curator and author living in Amsterdam, Netherlands; currently the artistic director of the Kim Association, an Asian transnational art initiative of the Yenna Alan Lo Foundation in Singapore; she curated Pilvi Takala's presentation at the Finnish national pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale and Shirley Tse's Hong Kong presentation at the 58th Venice Biennale), Piotr Sikora (PL/CZ; originally from Krakow; member of the Polish section of the International Association of Art Critics; lives and works in Prague; in his curatorial practice, he draws inspiration from sauna culture, mycology, and kitsch; he co-curates the art-themed reality show GASTROFAZA; he is raising two sons and is an avid cyclist), and Nathalie Anglès (FR/USA; Anglès is the executive director and co-founder of Residency Unlimited (RU); Before founding Residency Unlimited in 2009, Nathalie worked in various curatorial and administrative positions at institutions such as Sotheby's (London), Impressionist and Modern Art Department; American Center, the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (ENSBA); and the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs (UCAD); In 2008, Nathalie was awarded the French government's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts and Letters. Urbanová
Coordination and production: Petra Nela Pučeková
Visual identity: Matúš Buranovský
PR and exhibition architecture: Miroslava Urbanová
Exhibition architecture assistance: Alžbeta Lišková
Installation team: Jozef Pilát, Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Video: Lukáš Karaba, Lukáš Sobota
Music in the video: Michal Dore
Photography: Lena Gallovičová, Michaela Prablesková
DJ Kristie Kardio will play at the opening.
The exhibition will be open until March 1, 2026.
—
The Oskár Čepan Award was established in 1996 through the initiative of the American foundation Trust for Mutual Understanding. Since 2001, the project has been implemented by the Center for Contemporary Art Foundation with the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding, and since 2016, in collaboration with Unlimited. The award aims to support contemporary visual art and its creators. The age limit for participation is 40 years. devoted editor and anthologist, an erudite and receptive author of texts about contemporary Slovak visual art, a philosopher, theoretician, historian and critic. He played an essential role in the Slovak history of visual art of the 20th century, and his texts are still valid and surprisingly accurate today. partners
Partners: Tatra banka Foundation, Sovereign Invest Foundation, Residency Unlimited, YVAA, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Filmový festival inakosti
This project was financially supported by Trnava Self-Governing Region.
Media partners: Artalk, Rádio Devín