FOR MAAT BRUSSELS 2026 | Collective Exhibition
The FOR MAAT BRUSSELS exhibition is part of our year-round collaboration with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Brussels, held under the auspices of Trenčín 2026.
Opening: 8 October, 6:00 PM, Avenue Molière 195, 1050 Brussels
Exhibition dates: 8 October – 15 November 2026
Venue: Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Brussels, Avenue Molière 195, 1050 Brussels
Artists: Jana Gombiková, Nadežda Koyšová, Andrej Danóczi, Juraj Toman, Zovinec bros
Text: Piotr Gąska
,,Trenčín is a city of around sixty thousand inhabitants. On the one hand, it is small; on the other, it is large enough to have its own memory, its own contradictions, its own centre and outskirts, its representative places and those people would rather not talk about.
A castle towers over the city, a river runs through its centre, and its historic urban fabric has been preserved. At the same time, contemporary Trenčín is a place of everyday life, change and ambition. It is therefore neither a model of a city nor a scaled-down version of one. Perhaps it is precisely this scale that is of interest to the artists associated with Gallery Formaat. For them, Trenčín is neither a backdrop nor a subject in itself. It is a place where something can be seen. Sometimes all it takes is to look more closely at what seems too familiar to notice anymore.
Trenčín is today the European Capital of Culture. It is quite a big title for a city that, in certain situations, can be crossed on foot faster than it takes to explain what contemporary culture actually is. But perhaps that is precisely what makes this moment interesting. The city does not suddenly become cultural simply because it has received the title. The title merely draws attention to what is already happening here: artists, studios, collectives, exhibitions, conversations and attempts to tell stories about the world from one’s own, specific place. The artists associated with FOR MAAT Gallery demonstrate something simple: you do not have to live in a big city to engage with big issues. Sometimes all you need is a good place from which to observe them.’’
