Darina
Kazimirova

SVK
FU TU Košice

Darina Kazimírová’s diploma work is centered around a DIY method for improving of the cultural situation of her native town. Located on the border between Slovakia and Ukraine, and the epitome of a provincial setting, Sobrance was hit by an epidemic of hepatitis last year. As a result all of the municipality’s funds were spent on preventive measures and nothing was left of the meagre budget allotted to culture and art in happier times. The artist decided to address the situation by radical means, organizing a virtual festival of contemporary art entitled SOBRANOC (an allusion to the well-known festival of visual arts, Biela noc – White Night), displayed on the aesthetic features of the notorious computer game Minecraft. On a zero budget she created a utopian vision of the future of the town, a platform where the viewer becomes part of a virutal exhibition of resonant contemporary art projects in the public space. The viewer can thus see works by artists such as Juraj Gábor, Tomáš Džadoň or Dušan Zahoranský, all of whom responded to Kazimírová’s call to offer their work as a means of cultivating the virtual Sobrance and who have also actively participated in the project.