The project of the online database of contemporary Slovak visual arts called ARTBASE is based on the original intention to establish the Kunsthalle Bratislava (KHB) as the Slovak Centre for the Visual Arts with the aim of making a scientific research survey and documenting art. With regard to financial resources and the operational costs of the establishment and management of the collection archive, or the library, the KHB has come up with a new concept of a comprehensive online database in 2018. Taking into account conditions for the exchange, dissemination and accessibility of information in the 21st century, it appears to be becoming a reality.
Creation of a specialised online database is justified by the demand from the art community and a wider circle of domestic and foreign art theorists, as well as by the position of the KHB as an institution and its key task – to educate, make available and visible the contemporary visual arts. The intention to develop a database on the KHB website has a high potential to evaluate KHB as an established brand name in the international environment, and promote greater awareness and a deeper interest in the Slovak visual arts.
Thanks to the priority project of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, and a smaller grant from the Bratislava Regional Council received in 2018, the first phase of the project was launched, including the establishment of the online platform. The KHB internal team (Nina Vrbanová, Katarína Trnovská and Eva Šimovičová) participated in its conception, structure and design. Programming and database creation was provided by the lab.SNG team. The author of the working title, based on the combination of the words “art” and “database”, is Marián Tesák Jr.
Database presents several profiles of selected Slovak artists recommended for inclusion in the project by the International Committee of Experts. The artists’ reputation and profiles make up the core of the database. The classification and content (biographical information, brief description, selected photographic documentation, video profile, supplementary materials) were designed to present a consistent portrayal of the artist’s work.
An important feature of the database is the bilingual version. The bilingual text is based on the character of the KHB as an internationally oriented institution pursuing the goal of communicating our art and its qualities abroad. The international reputation, activity and potential of the artists are one of the major criteria for their choice and inclusion in the database. All evaluation criteria and profiles of the members of the committee are listed in the section “Committee”. We are pleased that the leading art theorists, critics and gallery representatives from the Visegrad countries have accepted membership of this advisory body.
The long-term perspective of the database project is to create a compact and highly relevant source of information, both in texts and images, about the Slovak visual arts. The database offers a professionally guaranteed selection (with regard to the international potential of the project), a survey of artists, their work, international cooperation, and other aspects, primarily intended as a source for education in this field for experts (theorists, critics, curators, and those interested in the contextualization of Slovak and foreign art) as well as the wider public.
Nina Vrbanová
Initiator and author of project conception
The bilingual ARTBASE database is an online selection platform reflecting the state and development of Slovak contemporary visual arts. The database content is determined by the post-1950s period (artists born after 1950), with emphasis on mapping the current state of the Slovak art scene.
The basic structure of the database is defined by the data entries for artists, groups, theorists and spaces. These are further divided as to the content and arranged in sequence – biography, theoretical studies (text), gallery of digitally reproduced works, list of exhibitions (selection), bibliography (selection) and archives of documentary materials.
The unique content of the database consists of theoretical studies and, from 2019 video profiles of artists specially created for the ARTBASE project. The authors of texts are domestic and foreign visual art theorists who have been examining the work of the relevant artist on a long-term basis. Data accuracy (titles, dates, credits) of texts is ensured by the artists in question.
The data integrity and relevance of the profiles is guaranteed by a long-term cooperation with the selected major artists who provide their valuable documentary materials from their personal archives. The data on the artworks and their digital reproductions are retrieved and regularly updated from the CEDVU (Central Register of Works of Art).
The primary intention of the database authors is the update of the ARTBASE content to stimulate the interest of its regular visitors in the portal.
The first five-member committee selecting the artists for the database was formed in 2018 to ensure high professional credibility, international co-operation, as well as a wide spectrum of views on Slovak visual arts. The committee’s term of office is three years, and its members currently represent the area and art historical context of the V4 countries.
The main task of the committee is to select the artists (entries) and process the information in the database. In the pilot phase of the project, the committee made a selection from the list of 30 artists recommended by the team of experts from the Kunsthalle Bratislava. Each member of the committee nominated 10 artists and sent the nominations to the Database Administrator in the electronic form. The final selection for the year 2018 includes six artists secured by majority vote.
The role of the selection committee was to monitor evaluation criteria, which fulfil the character and overall focus of the project. The number of artists processed in the database in 2018 represents the initial phase of the project. In the following years, our ambition is to process and include 15 to 20 new entries annually. The extent of the content will be adapted to the pre-selection of artists, while unassigned entries will be automatically transferred to next voting.
Members of the committee (2018 – 2020)
- Małgorzata Ludwisiak, director Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw (PL)
- Kinga German, Associate Professor Institute for Theoretical Studies – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest (HU)
- Michal Novotný, director FUTURA – Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague (CZ)
- Nina Vrbanová, director and chief curator Kunsthalle Bratislava, Bratislava (SK)
- Katarína Trnovská, manager of editorial projects Kunsthalle Bratislava, Bratislava (SK)
Evaluation criteria for the selection of artists:
- generation focus (young and middle aged generation of living artists)
- contribution to the national and international context of contemporary visual arts
- international reputation and potential of selected artists
- quality and range of artistic presentation abroad (participation in major international exhibitions of contemporary art, representation and presentation in important institutions)
- authentic approach to current themes, forms and questions of visual arts
- critical insight
- Nina Vrbanová, initiator and author of the project conception
- Katarína Trnovská, author of database structure
- Erik Vilím, contents editor
- Eva Šimovičová, graphic designer
- lab.SNG, development and programming
All rights reserved. No part of this database may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission from the ARTBASE Administrator.