International open call for site-specific artworks in the landscape – Trenčín 2026 × OOCR Považie
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Trenčín 2026, in collaboration with OOCR Považie, announces an open call for professional artists to create permanent or long-term artworks in the landscape.
The project LANDMARKS is a series of site-specific artistic interventions situated in the Považie region, along cycling routes and hiking trails. The artworks will function both as orientational and contemplative points within the landscape — places where people can pause, perceive the space, and read its historical, natural, and cultural layers.
The aim of the project is to create artworks that respond sensitively to specific locations and develop the relationship between landscape, memory, movement, and contemporary perception of the environment.
LOCATIONS
- VEĽKÁ JAVORINA – AREA AROUND HOLUBY’S MOUNTAIN CHALET
- BECKOV – NEAR THE BELL TOWERS (EVANGELICAL AND CATHOLIC) WITH A VIEW OF BECKOV AND BECKOV CASTLE
- LEDNICKÉ ROVNE – AREA AROUND THE NEW CYCLE BRIDGE
Link with marked locations:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QP9Gh5oNiaR9V_kWP3uocfkUiZM2U1Kb?usp=sharing
For all three locations, we welcome artistic proposals that reflect the broader cultural and historical context of the region, particularly the following reference lines:
- LOCATION – VEĽKÁ JAVORINA
JOZEF LUDOVÍT HOLUBY (1836–1923)
An important Slovak Lutheran priest, botanist, ethnographer, and scientist active in the Myjava and Považie regions. His work was deeply connected to the landscape — he systematically documented the region’s flora while also recording folk culture, traditions, and local knowledge. Holuby represents a connection between science, landscape, and the cultural memory of place.
- LOCATION – BECKOV
DIONÝZ ŠTÚR (1827–1893)
A prominent geologist, paleontologist, and pioneer of natural sciences in Slovakia. He devoted himself to systematic geological research and landscape mapping. His work allows us to perceive the landscape as an archive of time — as a layered geological and historical record.
- LOCATION – LEDNICKÉ ROVNE
THE GLASSMAKING TRADITION OF LEDNICKÉ ROVNE
Lednické Rovne has historically been associated with glass production, one of the region’s important craft and industrial traditions. Glass as a material carries themes of light, transparency, transformation, and craftsmanship. This tradition opens space for contemporary interpretations of the relationship between nature, industrial heritage, and art.
TYPES OF ARTWORKS
- permanent or long-term outdoor installations
- site-specific artworks in the landscape
- objects, interventions, or subtle landscape interventions
- orientational, symbolic, or contemplative forms
The artworks must be new and original (not previously exhibited or realized elsewhere).
MATERIALS AND APPROACH
We prefer:
- natural and local materials (wood, stone, metal, glass, and combinations thereof)
- environmentally sustainable solutions
- durability suitable for outdoor conditions and long-term placement in the landscape
FINANCIAL CONDITIONS
- artist fee for the realization of the artwork: EUR 3,000 (gross)
- financial contribution covering production costs based on the submitted budget up to a maximum of EUR 10,000 (gross)
APPLICATION PROCESS
Apply here: https://forms.gle/naudhzPzEw8h4TRRA
The application must include:
- CV / bio
- portfolio of realized works
- description of the proposed artwork, including its relationship to the location
- visualization / sketch of the proposal
- itemized production budget
- preferred location selection
EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
Proposals will be evaluated by a committee consisting of representatives of Trenčín 2026, OOCR Považie, and professionals in visual arts and tourism, based on:
- artistic quality
- relationship to the site and its context
- feasibility within the proposed budget
- durability and ecological approach
- sensitivity toward the landscape and public space
TIMELINE
- application deadline: 30 June 2026, 15:00 CET
- announcement of results: no later than 9 July 2026
- realization of artworks: by the end of August 2026 (ideally)
Contact person: Laura Magičová, laura.magicova@trencin2026.eu
The activity is carried out in cooperation with the Regional Tourism Organization Považie. The activity is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic.
New Works of Art for the Považie Region: LANDMARKS Unveils the Winning Projects
Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture, in collaboration with the Považie Regional Tourism Organisation, presents the winning projects of the international open call LANDMARKS. The initiative connects contemporary art, landscape, and the region’s cultural heritage through new site-specific artworks that will be created at significant locations across Považie.
The aim of the open call was to develop artistic interventions in the landscape that respond sensitively to the unique character of each site, its natural environment, history, and local stories. An expert jury selected four projects that will offer new ways of experiencing the landscape while creating opportunities to pause, observe, and discover.
Veľká Javorina: Adam Hudec – Walking with Holuby
Walking with Holuby draws inspiration from the legacy of botanist Jozef Ľudovít Holuby, who spent decades exploring the White Carpathians on botanical walking expeditions. Adam Hudec will create an approximately 1.2-kilometre circular trail around Holuby Cottage, consisting of a series of landscape-art interventions. These installations will encourage visitors to slow down, observe, and engage more deeply with nature.
Each stop along the trail will present a speculative vision of biodiversity in the year 2050, exploring the relationships between humans, plants, fungi, animals, and the landscape in the context of climate change. The interventions will be made from tree trunks removed for safety or health reasons and will gradually evolve into living microhabitats, shaped over time by natural processes.
Beckov – Near the Bell Shrines: Jaroslav Kyša – Sown in Sediments
Jaroslav Kyša’s monumental sculpture, carved from locally sourced limestone, explores geological time and the natural processes that continually reshape the landscape. A massive stone block will be rotated so that its originally horizontal sedimentary layers become vertical. Visitors will be invited to place seeds, plants, or branches into specially milled grooves, actively contributing to the creation of a new sedimentary layer. Over time, weather and natural forces will continue transforming the artwork.
Beckov – Beckovské Skalice: Šimon Chovan – Dionys’s Atlas
Dionys’s Atlas pays tribute to geologist and palaeontologist Dionýz Štúr and his research into fossilised plants. The artist will create a series of limestone objects engraved with plant species characteristic of the Beckovské Skalice nature reserve, including Adonis vernalis, Stipa pulcherrima, and Linum hirsutum. The artwork brings together geology, botany, and contemporary art, creating a dialogue between the landscape’s past and its possible future under changing climatic conditions.
Beluša–Lednické Rovne Cycle Bridge: Woven Studio – Arbor Oblita
Woven Studio will create a monumental structure resembling a hollow tree trunk. Visitors will be able to enter the installation, observe the surrounding landscape through circular openings, and experience a familiar place from a completely new perspective. The organic form references the natural layers of the landscape while providing a space for play, rest, and contemplation.
Japanese Artist Yuka Nomura Joins the LANDMARKS Series
The LANDMARKS series will also include a permanent installation by Japanese artist Yuka Nomura, entitled A Cherry Pit Spat Out by the Sky. The artwork will be unveiled on 21 August 2026 at 5:00 p.m. in the Cherry Orchard on Brezina Hill in Trenčín.
Nomura is creating a sculpture in the shape of a cherry pit as a symbol of birth, journey, and the continuation of natural cycles. Using wood, straw, and clay, she transforms a simple natural fragment into a poetic object that evokes hidden potential and the landscape’s continuous transformation.
LANDMARKS will establish a network of artistic landmarks across the landscape, connecting contemporary art with the natural and cultural heritage of the Považie region. Through land art and site-specific interventions, the project invites visitors to discover Považie from a new perspective—to slow down, engage with the character of each place, and uncover new stories, layers, and connections within the landscape.