Embassy Events
Fulbrighter Jessica Perry, Art Students Reflect on Current Slovak Environment
May 13, 2008
"Reflections/Odrazy" is an exhibition of American artist Jessica Perry's Slovak photo collages and her students' artwork. Ambassador Vincent Obsitnik opened the exhibit May 13 at the University Library, Bratislava. The title refers to the many layers of reflection that occur during cross-cultural interactions. Jessica Perry has been in residence at Josef Vydra School of Applied Arts in Bratislava on a Fulbright Teacher exchange in Bratislava for one year, while her counterpart, Barbara Remiášová, teaches in New Jersey. Living and teaching in Bratislava, Jessica examined the culture and architecture through a series of photo collages, making connections between society, culture and environment. She is attracted to both the constructed and natural patterns that appear in the Slovak landscapes; her digital photographs of these landscapes combine reflected images to create relationships between patterns. Jessica's students took on a challenge to reflect current social, political and cultural issues in their work. The students viewed and discussed a wide selection of artwork from abroad that comments on social issues, then investigated their own country. The students' work emerged from this research, with size and medium left to their choice. The collaboration between artist Igor Peter Meluzin, director of Josef Vydra School of Applied Arts, Dr. Dušan Lechner, deputy director of The University Library in Bratislava which hosts InfoUSA Bratislava, the art students and the Embassy made this show possible. The show continues at the University Library until June 3, then travel to Bratislava City Library Summer Reading Room, State Scientific Libraries in Banska Bystrica and Kosice, then to Catholic University in Ružomberok.