Slovak photographer Martin Machaj in cooperation with UCM Trnava brings a unique exhibition of Slovak costumes to his compatriots in the USA
Published: 4. 10. 2024
On 25 September 2024, the Slovak Epopea exhibition was inaugurated at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, USA, in the evening hours of 25 September 2024. This unique project, the work of world-renowned Slovak photographer Martin Machaj and supported by experts from the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava (UCM), presents a unique series of 25 photographs depicting the last bearers of traditional costumes in different regions of Slovakia. The opening of the exhibition and making it available to the general public is part of a special programme to mark the 30th anniversary of the museum's foundation.
The Slovak Epic is a precursor to the forthcoming book, which Martin Machaj has been working on tirelessly since 2020. This publication will provide a unique and previously unrecognised insight into the beauty and authenticity of the people of his native country.
The exhibition offers a new perspective on the disappearing heritage of Slovak folk clothing. The authors have conceived it as a so-called traveling exhibition, while its flexible production on high-quality banners will allow it to be moved and presented around the world.
The photographs capture the authentic life of the people in their natural environment - in cottages, on the outskirts during holidays and everyday activities. They are accompanied by poetic and explanatory texts by Katarína Slobodová Nováková from the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, an expert on traditional culture who has been working with Martin Machaj for six years.
"The project focuses not only on the documentation of traditional clothing, but also on the change of their meaning in the modern world. They capture not only the people and costumes, but especially the genius loci of individual regions of Slovakia. The photographs capture local activists, folklore groups and individuals who preserve, save and present the costumes in their communities. The exhibition also reflects on the transformations that the costumes have undergone due to historical changes and the necessary steps needed for their preservation and further presentation," said Katarína Slobodová Nováková from the Department of Ethnology and Non-European Studies of the Faculty of Arts, UCM.
The exhibition is intended not only for foreign Slovaks, but also for all lovers of traditional culture and art. It is a collaboration between the artistic photographer and the UCM, as well as partners from Slovakia, and is part of two important projects - the APVV and the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan. The authors' aim is to create a comprehensive photographic monograph by 2026, which will present all the clothing regions of Slovakia through the unusual perspective of an artistic photographer.
The exhibition is under the patronage of the President of the Slovak Republic, Peter Pellegrini. The exhibition is open to the general public in the museum's permanent exhibition and will subsequently travel for two years in the communities of Slovaks in the USA, Canada and Argentina.
