The Miloš Alexander Bazovský Gallery in Trenčín hosts an exceptional exhibition by one of the most significant Slovak artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibition Stano Filko: Colour and System, Front and Back, on view from 13 February to 18 April 2026, offers a profound and sensorially rich exploration of an artist who saw art as a means of understanding both the world and himself.
Stanislav / Stano Filko (1937–2015), born in Veľká Hradná near Trenčín, ranks among the most prominent figures of Slovak neo-avant-garde art. After completing his studies in exhibition design at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Bratislava (1956–1960), he continued at the Department of Monumental Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava under Professor Peter Matejka (1960–1965). Alongside an endless range of mediums, Filko devoted himself persistently to painting and monumentalism. Renowned for his radical approach to classical media such as painting and the image, he treated these forms not as closed surfaces but as open systems and spaces for thought. This exhibition traces his lifelong exploration of colour, painting, and space, offering a comprehensive view of his artistic practice.
Curator Boris Ondreička’s concept highlights Filko’s understanding of the image as more than a flat surface, becoming a physical object and a spatial experience. True to the artist’s intention, the selected works invite viewers to enter his paintings – exploring not only their front sides but also their reverses, which were often equally significant in Filko’s work. The idiom ‘two sides of the same coin’ lies at the heart of Filko’s practice, revealing how he intertwined analytical thinking with intuition.
“Filko’s work may be more relevant today than ever, precisely because it emphasises the need to connect rationality with sensitivity,” says exhibition curator Boris Ondreička. Many of the works on display are being shown to the public for the very first time, further highlighting the exceptional nature of this project.
The exhibition also engages in a symbolic dialogue with painter Miloš Alexander Bazovský, after whom the gallery is named, presenting works that respond directly to his legacy. The project offers a concentrated experience of colour, painting and the image as both object and space – tracing a path from responses to classical modernism, through neo-avant-garde experimentation, to contemporary approaches to artistic thinking.
Stano Filko: Colour and System, Front and Back (13 February – 18 April 2026) presents a unique opportunity to enter the world of an artist who understood art as a tool of knowledge, freedom and continuous transformation. The exhibition is part of the programme of Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture and naturally aligns with its values and ambitions.
Additional information, press materials and photographs from the Opening Weekend can be downloaded from the Media section at: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/for-the-media/
MEDIA CONTACT
Tereza Fojtová / Trenčín 2026
tereza.fojtova@trencin2026.eu / +421 918 412 621 / www.trencin2026.eu
Florian Vanicatte / Send / Receive
florian@sendreceive.eu / +33 617 216 932
