ARTIST STATEMENT

Andrea Junekova was born in Slovakia. In 2010, she completed a Master degree in photography and new media at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava.  The young photographer is often playing on the psychological string, creating scenes and atmospheres in which absurdity, uncertainty, sinister uneasiness and humour are subtly intertwined.

In her artist´s practice, Andrea Juneková is primarily dedicated to art photography; however, she also reaches out to other media, installation, video and others. Her work is dominated by multi-layered content, the uncovering of existential and psychological narratives as well as self-reflexive questions and related complex references, with the emphasis on deviations from established socio-political stereotypes, and keen interest in suppressed topics she presents on the background of newly uncovered layers of content.

The imagination of the author and contemplation of the internal cosmos of the individual constitute a reference to Surrealism that is further developed in the subtle play of random encounters questioning the ideals of beauty and society. Through their apparent incomprehensibility, Junekova's visions emphasize the clear formal language employing contemporary means of expression of staged photography, portrait, diary recording or atmosphere of a symbolic natural landscape. Her use of the gesture, selection of the props, image crop or applied aesthetics suggest that the individual images - solitaires are meant to recall the rather onerous and dark side of human existence. Delicate and sensitive use of oval-shaped light that is typical for a large part of Junekova's creation reveals inner poetics often found in Gothic art. Fiction of night, darkness, death, cadaverous stiffness of human figures, flying spoons, shattered items or dark liquid in the sink... Junekova's photographs are characterized by sophistication and subtlety that are supported by precise mastering of technological aspects of the media of photography. Also present is persisting controversy over the notions of impersonal and personal. Author's work is characterized by a sufficient degree of complexity, multi-layer quality, mystery and emotionality, guided by a personal concept. Particularly rewarding aspect of the work of Andrea Juneková is the game of image and its reflection in the mirror: undistorted reality is visible clearly enough while at the same time challenged and distorted by the experience and self-delusion of the viewer. text: Mgr.Art Jozef Sedlak

 Andrea Juneková is one of the most significant figures of contemporary Slovak "emerging" authors. Although she graduated from the Department of Photography and New Media her work - especially her recent work - is characterized by reaching out beyond the boundaries of the photographic medium which she combines with drawing, installation, photo-animation and video. In the context of the youngest generation of Slovak artists, her work is unique and highly original.

 Katarina Slaninová, freelance curator, amt_project curator

Andrea Juneková sa vo svojej tvorbe primárne venuje výtvarnej fotografii, no pracuje i s rôznymi intermediálnymi presahmi, inštaláciou, videom a i. V jej tvorbe dominuje obsahová viacvrstevnosť, odkrývanie existenciálnych a psychologických naratívov, i sebareflexívnych otázok a s tým súvisiacich zložitých odkazov. Taktiež akcentovanie odchýliek vybočujúcich zo zaužívaných spoločensko-politických stereotypov a záujem o vytesnené témy, ktoré posúva do svetla nových obsahových rovín.

Odkaz surrealizmu nenachádzame len v imaginácii a v psychoanalýze vnútorného kozmu človeka, ale v rafinovanej hre náhodných stretnutí spochybňujúcich ideál krásy a spoločnosti.
Zdanlivá nečitateľnosť Junekovej vízií akcentuje jasný formálny jazyk, využívajúci súčasné výrazové prostriedky inscenovanej fotografie, portrétu, denníkového spôsobu záznamu či atmosféry prírodnej symbolickej krajiny.
Jednotlivé obrazy - solitéry, spôsobom narábania s gestom, rekvizitami, výrezom či estetikou majú pripomínať skôr ťaživú a
odvrátenú stranu ľudského bytia. Na poetiku gotiky odkazuje práca so svetlom, ktorého charakter svetelného oválu je príznačný pre velkú časť autorkynej tvorby.
Fikcia noci, tmy, smrti, mŕtvolnej nehybnosti figúr, lietajúcich lyžičiek, rozbitých predmetov či tmavej tekutiny v umývadle...
Pre Junekovej fotografie je príznačná sofistikovanosť a rafinovanosť, ktoré sú podporované precízne zvládnutou
technologickou stránkou média fotografie. Prítomný je aj stále pretrvávajúci spor o termín niečoho neosobného a osobného.
Pre autorkinu tvorbu je príznačná dostatočná miera komplikovanosti, viacvrstevnatosti, tajomstva, emocionality a osobného konceptu. Obohacujúcim aspektom práce Andrey Junekovej je hra na obraz a odraz v zrkadle.Človek vidí dostatočne jasne nepokrivenú realitu, ale zároveň ju spochybňuje a skresľuje svojou skúsenosťou a sebaklamom.
text: Mgr.Art Jozef Sedlak

Andrea Juneková patrí medzi výrarazné postavy súčasných slovenských „emerging“ autorov. Hoci ukončila štúdium na katedre fotografie a nových médií jej tvorbu charakterizuje, predovšetkým v ostatnej dobe, práca s rôznymi presahmi za hranice fotografického média, ktoré kombinuje s kresbou, inštaláciou, rozpohybovaním fotografií, či videom. 
Katarína Slaninová freelance curator, amt_project curator

BIOGRAPHY

2010 Master degree_Academy of fine arts and design, Bratislava, Slovakia     Photography and New Media department

internships:
2007 studio K.R.E.Z.B.A prof. Popovic
2009 studio IN, prof. Kiss Pál

Awards/Nominees : selection
2012   3th prize Photo of the year' 2012, national competition for young professional
photographers, VUB foundation
2011  Neu / Now festival nomination, Tallin, Estonia
2010   1th prize Photo of the year 2010, national competition for young professional
photographers, VUB foundation
2010   Photo of the year 09' finallist, VUB foundation
2009   International ESSL AWARD CE finallist
2008   9th International FILM Festival ART ON! Selection, BA, SR
2008   Interantional festival Early melons, videoart selection

Solo exhibitions   

2015 No man´s land, SEDF, Bratislava, SR                                                    
2012 (Not) Alone, LabOratory gallery, Bratislava                            
2011 Under the surface, ASIL gallery, OFF festival Bratislava, SR
2011 Phobias, Sugiyjama University, Nagoya, Japan
2010 solo presentation - project Rentart / gallery Space, I+I, Bratislava, SR2009 fotoprojection "Cont/act dis/connected", photomaraton, Tyršovo n., Ba, SR
2009 SOm-DO-MA, gallery ExLibris, Midleuropean house of photography, Bratislava,SR
2008 IN-DIVI-DUAL-I-TY?, gallery Sherz, Bratislava, SR

Exhibitions: selection
2014 Disambiguation: WinterSolstice14, Øvre Fossum Gård, Oslo, Norway
2014 50 words, Apart, MHD, Bratislava
2014 Body and soul, Flat gallery, Bratislava
2013 Visual Inspiration & Personal Quests III., Tampere City Hall, Tampere, Finland
2013 Visual Inspiration & Personal Quests II., Estonian national library, Tallin, Estonian
2013 Visual Inspiration & Personal Quests, Riga City Exhibition Hall - Riga Art Space, Riga,Latvia
2012 Photo of the Year'2012 finalists exhibition, Hviezdoslavovo square
2012 The picture we live in“, Month of Photography, House of culture, SNP, Bratislava, Slovakia
2012 The picture we live in., galerie Usti nad Labem, CZ
2011 NEU / NOW festival, Tallin, Estonia
2011 Youthful medium, 21th Month of photography, House of culture, Bratislava, Slovakia
2011 solo exhibition Under the surface, ASIL gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia

2011 The spirit of a landscape, synagogue Ivančice, Czech republic
2011 Photo of the year´2010 - 1st. Prize, exhibition in Main university hall, Bratislava
2011 Phobias, Sugiyjama University, Japan
2011 Praguephoto IV, Manes, Prague, Czech republic
2011 2x10, gallery AMU, Prague, Czech republic
2011 We´ll show you , FAVU gallery, Brno, Czech republic
2011 Slovakian photography, slovak institute, Moscow, Russia
2011 Photo of the year´10 – winning exhibition, Vub fundation, ULK hall, Bratislava
2010 Yeasty Medium” /1990-2010/Slovak Photography, Month of Photography ´10, House
of culture, Bratislava, Slovakia
2010 Preview/ 20 years of AFAD Photography dep.", House of Betlen, Banská Bystrica, SR
2010 solo presentation - project Rentart / SPACE gallery, I+I, Bratislava, SR
2010 Century of a woman, PF 01 gallery, Bratislava
2010 O strachu a o slobode, PF 01 gallery, Bratislava, SR
2010 Young Art Show III., House of culture, Piešťany, SR
2010 En Face/focused on contenporary portrait, Nitra gallery, Bunker, Nitra, SR
2010 Selection of best AFAD diploma works , House of culture, Bratislava, SR
2010 Diploma works, Midleeuropian house of photography, Bratislava, SR
2010 Praguephoto III., Photography Fair, Exhibition Hall Manes, Prague, Czech republic
2010 The century of woman, České Budejovice, Czech republic
2010 Photo of the year´09 , slovak nominees exhibition, Vub foundation, The University
library exhibition hall, Bratislava, SR
2009 ESSL AWARD CEE 2009, Nominees Exhibition, Gallery MEDIUM, Bratislava, SR
2009 10th International film festival, students videoart ART ON!, Aupark, Bratislava, SR
2009 Slovenské špeciality, Gallery Opera, Jiři Myron theatre, Ostrava, Czech republic
2009 Accoustic laptops, Haus der Kulturen der welt, Berlin, Germany
2009 photo projection "Cont/act dis/connected" , Bratislava Photomarathon, “Tyršovo
nábrežie”, Ba, SR
2009 Young art show II, House of culture, Piešťany, SR
2009 Ci.j.be.snad , Workshop - gallery Na chodbe, VŠVU, Bratislava, SR
2009 Súčasné umenie, áno či nie?, House of Matica Slovenská, Martin, SR
2009 solo exhibition “SOm-DO-MA”, gallery ExLibris, Midleeuropian house of
photography, Bratislava, SR
2008 solo exhibition „IN-DIVI-DUAL-I-TY?” , gallery Sherz, Bratislava, SR
2008 Art on , 10th. international film festival, Aupark, Bratislava, SR
2008 V koži A.B., gallery Sherz, Bratislava, SR
2008 project DezArtAttax ll, site specific, Berlinbiennale, Berlin, Germany
2008 Ateliér o fotografii”, PF01 gallery, Bratislava, SR
2008 50 words, MHD, Bratislava, SR
2008 international film festival Early melons, VideoArt, Bratislava, SR
2007 The international film festival, Art on, Aupark, Bratislava, SR
2007 Diploma bachelor works, Open Gallery, Bratislava, SR
2007 Talents, Zahorie Gallery Senica, SR
2007 DJ Profil, Oravská gallery, Orava, SR
2007 Human nature, Franciscan chapel, Bratislava, SR
2006 International poster Triennale, Trnava, SR
2006 Gen x, Museum of graphic design, Aarhus, Denmark
2006 2 x rituál, Open gallery, Bratislava, SR
etc...


 
other activities:
from  2011 - coorganizator - OFF festival Bratislava / www.offfestival.sk
2011  co-creator - LabOratory gallery
2010  En face /focused on contemporary portrait, curatorial project, Bunker, Nitra gallery
2009  Tesla sommercamp, Accoustic laptops, House of World Culture, Berlin, Germany
2009 - 04 photographic workshops /lectors prof. Piotr Florkowski, Ernestine Ruben, etc.,
2008   Berlinbiennale, site specific infiltration, DezartAttax II., cooperation with M.bobrikova and Oscar de Carmen, Berlin
2007  Praguebiennale 4., site specific, Dezart I., cooperation with M.Bobrikova, Karlin Hall, Praha, ČR

contact: ajunekova@gmail.com
www.andreajunekova.com - under construction