Not so far away from West, the Turn of Art in Bratislava (1960-1980)

Not so far away from West, the Turn of Art in Bratislava (1960-1980)

The remarkable turn of art which occured in the 1960s-1980s has been under the scrutiny of researchers in Western Europe and United States since the early 2000s. Yet, most of their investigations focus on this geographical area assumed to be the center of the avant-garde. Attention given to “margins” and other “peripheries” offers a different perspective to what is an obvious Western ethnocentric myth. Through the study of the microcosm of Bratislava neo-avant-garde, this lecture aims to highlight the chronological parallelisms known between “center” and “periphery” art. The study of artworks and artists’ careers will help understanding the origins of this turn of art, between transfers and local context.

Perin Emel Yavuz benefits from a six month long fellowship (March—August 2016) at CEFRES. She is associated to Centre for the Study of Arts and Language (CRAL UMR 8566) at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris.