ABOUT US
Šamorín is a medieval city of Žitný ostrov, its first written records are from the 13rd century. Being in proximity to major cities like Bratislava, Vienna, Komárom, Győr, Mosonmagyaróvár it has been multicultural for centuries.
When founding the DUNARTCOM Association our goal was to bring living, contemporary art to the city, enable encounters and co-thinking between local and foreign artists, build bridges and establish relationships in a spirit of tolerance.
We believe that borders and barriers between artists and audiences as well as between art genres may disappear. We aim to take care of our existing relationships and create new ones, so that the city gets integrated to the circulation of the art world, and the Central and Eastern European region has distinctive representation in the international cultural scene. With our events we intend to provide publicly available opportunities for local artists as well as for artists joining us from abroad, for visitors and art professionals to discuss social and cultural issues in a wider circle.
Thanks to the DUNARTCOM Association, more than 65 professional events have been organised within 11 years. Our main activity is to operate and maintain the DUNARTCOM International Art Colony of Samorin. During the period of the art colony we offer exhibitions, concerts and theatre performances to the audience. The curator of the events is Éva Mayer, a Munkácsy prize winner artist, and the co-curator is Zsolt Áron Majoros, a Junior Príma prize winner sculptor. Our close relatives, Éva Mayer Sr., József Mayer Sr. and József Mayer Jr., double bass player support our professional activities as well.
The art colony is organised annually as a result of intellectual and financial cooperation and support of the Reformed community, local entrepreneurs and families. The symposium and the related events have been internationally renowned since the first season.
Apart from ourselves, the city of Šamorín, the Hermes German-Hungarian Cultural Association (HU) make the art colony and the related professional events happen.
Simultaneously with the organisation of the art colony, we organise group shows, concerts and pursue training as well as publishing activities.
Association’s name: DUNARTCOM Association / Place of business: Nezábudková 2386/16A, 93101 Šamorín, Slovakia
DUNARTCOM Association
The common past and cultural heritage of the Eastern-Central European region in the past centuries determine the thoroughly researched and diversely interpreted questions regarding identity. As this region is crossed by one of the most international rivers of the world, the Danube, which also touches the borders of Šamorín city, the DUNARTCOM name, stemming from the words Danube and communication, has been selected for the symposium.
As its name refers to it, the goal of DUNARTCOM Association is to provide a platform for this identity search in various art branches and to establish relationships between the players of the cultural scene.
The chief task of the association is to organise and operate the DUNARTCOM International Art Colony of Šamorín. Every summer a dozen artists participate in the professional programme of the symposium, during which exhibitions, concerts, lectures, presentations, workshops, literary events and theatre performances are also offered to the audience.
Simultaneously with the organisation of the art colony, we pursue training as well as publishing activities.
The DUNARTCOM International Art Colony of Šamorín
The DUNARTCOM is the first international art colony of Šamorín founded in 2011 by Éva Mayer DLA, Munkácsy prize winner artists. The art colony was created thanks to the support of Éva Mayer’s family as well as the town mayor of the time, Gábor Bárdos and the Reformed Church of Šamorín.
The main objective of creating the art colony was to build a new, intellectual community from the talented and well-known emerging artists of the artists’ society.
The DUNARTCOM is not only considered a value creator in the history of the city, but also in the cultural life of Upper Hungary, and is recognised by the local as well as international art scene. The annually growing contemporary art collection of Šamorín was founded from the artworks created at the art colony. Consciously selected, established Hungarian and foreign artists from within and outside of Hungary have been invited to participate for ten years. (Two-thirds of the 12-16 participants are Hungarians from within and outside of Hungary, one-third of them are foreign artists). The art colony, apart from its significant community forming role, also has an impact on the local society of artists, musicians and writers.
During the art colony further professional events, including exhibitions, lectures, presentations, workshops, are on view for the public, which enriches what the city has to offer.
Over the past decade close to 170 artists have participated in the art colony from 16 countries, and more than 55 professional events have taken place. The invited artists work along a given theme, but without a genre to follow. Apart from the traditional media use new artistic expressions, techniques and approaches occur and encounter.
The themes of the past decade have been: Wavelength, Soulpoison, Transvision, Soulbase, Providence, On Inner Paths, Doorstep of Light, Relic, Levitation and Contemplation.
Current co-organisers: DUNARTCOM Association, Hermes German-Hungarian Cultural Association, the city of Šamorín
Venues of the art colony’s professional events in Šamorín:
a/ venues for artistic creation:
– graphic arts studio and the artist studio house
– covered courtyard with studios in Pomlé park
b/ exhibition spaces:
– the István Prohászka Room of the Cultural Centre of the City of Šamorín
– closing group show of the art colony at Korona Garden, the cloister of the Catholic monastery
c/ further venues for the professional events:
– Film club – professional presentations, lectures
Every year the art colony ends with a group show. Between 2011 and 2013 the programme of the art colony as well as the closing exhibition were hosted by the Reformed church of the Roman and Gothic ages from the 12th century. The exhibition was on show for two months, and the programme of the art colony was visited by almost 2000 people. During the art colony, children’s activities and museum pedagogy-related lectures were organised for the local primary and secondary schools. Since 2014 due to the reconstruction works of the Reformed church in Samorin the closing exhibition is on view as part of the Korona Garden Music Days within the inspiring walls of the cloister in the Baroque Catholic monastery of Korona Garden.
The artworks created during the symposium have been exhibited at group shows multiple times. A selection from the art colony’s collection was on view in MAMÜ, Budapest in 2016 and 2019. In 2017 the art colony had the chance introduce themselves in Kunsthalle, Budapest at the exhibition entitled „25 Symposion” as the only Hungarian art colony from across the border. In 2019 a selection from the 9th art colony collection was exhibited in the Hungarian Institute of Bratislava. This year DUNARTCOM has had their own booth at the prestigious art fair, Budapest Art Market, for the first time.
The essential conditions of the art colony’s operation are ensured by the organisers: accommodation, catering and the artists’ material costs.
Chief sponsors: the city of Šamorín (SK), Hungarian Cultural Fund (HU), Cultural Fund of Minorities (SK), Gábor Bethlen Fund (HU), VÚC (SK)
The art colony is organised annually as a result of intellectual and financial cooperation and support of the Mayer family, the Reformed community, local entrepreneurs and families. The symposium and the related events have been internationally renowned since the first season.