Stillness in Motion.
Conversations on Maria Bartuszová

Maria Bartuszová (1936–1996) is one of the most remarkable figures of the late twentieth century Central European art. She is primarily associated with the peripheral space of East Slovakia, an environment far removed from the more traditional centres of the art world, yet the relative isolation in which she worked allowed her to develop a highly distinctive visual language which diverged radically from that of her contemporaries. She is perhaps best known for her plaster sculptures, works whose physical fragility and quiet tranquillity belies the sheer force of their conceptual charge. Recent years have seen a growing recognition of Bartuszová’s achievements, and she is increasingly seen as an artist whose work has made a fundamental contribution to our understanding of the concepts of materiality, touch and relationality.

Through stimulating and thought-provoking conversations conducted with friends, artists, curators and art theorists, the film constructs a multi-layered portrait of Bartuszová’s body of work and the all-encompassing ecosystem of ideas which it represents. Personal recollections, critical reflections and theoretical perspectives intertwine to invoke an interdisciplinary field of resonance. Contributions by Cecilia Alemani, Lucia G. Stach, Agata Jakubowska, Pavel Karous, Joanna Mytkowska, Ruth Noack, Bojana Pejić, Ivona Raimanová, Kasia Redzisz, Ka Te Blažová, Boris Vaitovič, Silvia Van Espen, and others expand the interpretative landscape and underscore the international significance of Bartuszová and her quietly powerful art.

Technical Information:
Stillness in Motion — 1 h 15 min 
© 2025
Languages: Slovak, Czech, Polish, Italian, German, English
Subtitles: English

Film (Intro, 1:32): Stillness in Motion | Intro
Accompanying book: Stillness in Motion_Boehlau

Contributors:
Concept: Zuzana Križalkovičová
Language Design: Gavin Cowper
Video Editing: Vladimira Hradecká with the support of Martin Jombík and Tomáš Jurčo
Camera: Anna Ailinca, Hugo Činčala, Kuba Grochowski, Jaris, Marian Kallinger, Lorine Laville, Juraj Marcin
Color Grading: Marian Kallinger
Music: Daniel Špiner