INGRID HOFFSTADTER VISNOVSKA

Ingrid Hoffstadter Visnovska was born in Czechoslovakia and lives and works between Bratislava and Kuchyňa, Slovokia. The prevailing tone in her recent works can be described through the metaphor of "blindness"—a poetic diagnosis of today’s fragmented perception, and a reflection on individual and collective responses to contemporary society. Her art often crosses boundaries not only of motif but also of meaning and interpretation, inviting layered readings of visual contexts.

The motif of the eye, or seeing in darkness, recurs in her oeuvre—such as in Eye (2007–08, National Gallery Prague), a projection of an eye floating through vanishing steam, or Silence (2008, Bratislava; 2010, Synagogue GJK Trnava), where eyes seem to levitate in UV light like mystical presences.

Her recent series, No Comment (2024/25), consists of lenticular panels—each holding two images that shift depending on the viewer’s position. This unique "flip" effect juxtaposes wartime press photographs from Ukraine with iconic works of art from global masters. In these confrontations, we witness a haunting clash of civilizations: Caravaggio’s Death of the Virgin merges with the image of a pregnant woman dying on a stretcher in Mariupol; Ilya Repin’s Ivan the Terrible and His Son collides with the aftermath of a bombed Ukrainian city.

This body of work reflects on the persistent global conflict and the war that has continued for over three years. It speaks to the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people—their unyielding will to endure, to resist, and to reclaim their freedom, no matter the cost.

Visnovska studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava from 1998 to 2004, where she also completed her postgraduate studies. Her academic path also includes time studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Saint-Étienne, France, and the Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Austria.

Visnovska’s work has been recognized with several awards and nominations: she was a finalist for the 2005 Oskár Čepan Award (Slovakia’s equivalent to the Turner Prize), a winner of the Map XXL international competition for young artists in the same year, with a follow-up presentation at Ars Electronica Center in Linz, and a finalist for the 2007 Essl Art Award (Slovakia).