Light Art Festival will bring nine light installations by Slovak and international artists into the streets, parks and interiors of Trenčín on 10 and 11 April.
The second edition of the light art festival connects light with sound – visitors will experience art that is not only seen, but also heard. The event is part of the programme of Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture and will open with a special audiovisual show by musician FVLCRVM on the façade of the Army House (ODA) on Friday at 19:45. Admission is free.
“This year we built the festival on the connection between light and sound. Some installations work with sound design as an equal part of the artwork, others respond directly to movement or the presence of people. Visitors will thus be able not only to see light art, but also to hear it and literally experience it in space,” says Patrik Kubizna from the Trenčín civic association TRAKT, which organises the Light Art Festival.
“The programme brings works from Japan, France, Norway, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, while also giving space to Slovak and Trenčín-based artists. The installations will be located in the city centre in public spaces, but also in the interiors of the Synagogue, ODA, FOR MAAT gallery and KKC Hviezda, and will be accessible from 19:30 to 23:00. Each of the works responds to a specific place and offers a different atmosphere and way of perceiving light,” adds Kubizna.
Connection of music, light design and projection
On Friday evening, the festival will open with a unique music set by producer FVLCRVM, currently nominated for the Radio_Head Awards in as many as five categories, for example Album of the Year or Song of the Year 2025. The performance will be accompanied by an audiovisual show by the creative collective Oddysea Studio. Projection and light design created directly for the brutalist architecture of the Army House (Okruhový dom armády – ODA) will transform its façade into a pulsating scene. After the opening event, the space in front of ODA will light up with the kinetic installation FLUX by the French collective Collectif Scale, where light, movement and music will merge into a hypnotic “dance of light”.
Light art from Japan to Norway
Six international artists and collectives will be presented at the festival. One of the most prominent names is Japanese artist Chida Yasuhiro, who belongs among the leading figures of contemporary light art. In his works, he creates subtle light “threads” that change the way we perceive space.
“In the Trenčín context, Chida Yasuhiro’s installation will respond to the recent demolition of a national cultural monument on Palackého Street in Trenčín. The work will thus open the theme of the city’s memory, our relationship to architecture, history, culture and public space,” explains Patrik Kubizna.
An international collaboration is also the partnership with the Norwegian festival Factory Light Festival, which specialises in light art in industrial spaces. Their installation will be created specifically for the underground spaces of the FOR MAAT gallery in Trenčín.
Become part of the artwork
At the opposite end of the festival walk, in the mirrored hall of KKC Hviezda, Slovak artist Veronika Šmírová will install her work. It will be an immersive and interactive experience. Visitors will be able to enter the artwork and move within it. The projection will respond to movement in space as well as sound.
Veronika Šmírová belongs to the emerging strong voices of light art and is an example of how European Capital of Culture connects Slovakia with the world. Last year, thanks to Trenčín 2026, she exhibited at the Norwegian Factory Light Festival, and this year the partnership symbolically returns – the Norwegian collective will bring its work to Trenčín.
Artwork for children, guided tours and art on the train
The festival also thinks of families. Slovak artist Matej Mazák will place an interactive light installation Plašidlá in the Park of Milan Rastislav Štefánik. Playful objects respond to movement and sound, so children can actively engage with them. Children and parents can learn more about the work and light art – on both days at 19:00 there will be a children’s interactive opening of the work and its joint activation.
For art lovers, the festival in cooperation with the M. A. Bazovský Gallery prepares guided tours, where selected works in interiors can be seen exclusively from 19:00. During both days, people can enjoy a special light-themed gastro offer in participating venues as well as playful curiosity ateliers in cooperation with Trenčín 2026.
Light art also on the train
A sample of light art will also be experienced by passengers on the train as part of the Cultural Express event. On Friday 10 April on train EX 621 from Bratislava to Košice departing at 13:15 and on Saturday 11 April on train EX 618 from Košice to Bratislava departing at 13:07, a social carriage will be included where passengers will be able to try the interactive Laser Harp by Czech designer Ondřej Puchta.
The Slovak Railways (ZSSK) will also allow the public to travel to the event in Trenčín and back on a single ticket. It is enough to purchase a one-way ticket to Trenčín, which will also be valid for the return journey without additional charge. The offer applies from anywhere in Slovakia, at ZSSK ticket offices as well as directly on the train without a service fee. When purchasing, it is enough to state that it is a journey to the Light Art Festival Trenčín.
