Milan Adamčiak: Labours of Sisyphus

ExhibitionCella Gallery and Hovorny, Opava

MILAN ADAMČIAK: LABOURS OF SISYPHUS
Galerie Cella
February 14 – April 3, 2025
Curator: Lucia Gregorová Stach

The opening will take place on Friday, February 14, at Galerie Cella, with the curator in attendance.

In 2025, we continue our series of exhibitions dedicated to leading sound artists who have influenced the field of sound art not only through their artistic or compositional work but also by promoting awareness through organizational and academic activities.

The exhibition Milan Adamčiak: Labours of Sisyphus at the Bludný kámen Gallery in Opava offers a probe into the multifaceted creative universe of one of the most interesting (Czech)Slovak neo-avant-garde artists. Milan Adamčiak (Ružomberk 1946 – Banská Belá 2017) was a musicologist, artist, performer, and polymath who combined music, visual art, philosophy, literature, and performance into a distinctive, experimental vision that challenged conventional forms of artistic creation in a unique way. He built his multimedia programme on “Sisyphean work” with everyday objects, images, and sounds, transforming the mundane into the extraordinary, everyday situations into moments of discovery. His original DIY musical instruments were made from found materials such as metal scraps, glass, and wood waste—used both as functional performative instruments and as independent sculptural objects.

At the core of his practice were now-iconic graphic scores, conceptual art, and interdisciplinary collaborations. We have the opportunity to experience his interactive object from his time as a member of the experimental collective Transmusic Comp, through which a number of figures in contemporary art, performance, and music brought to life radical ideas resonating with the international Fluxus movement, John Cage, and New Music, as well as similarly attuned intermedia art alternatives in both Western and Eastern Europe. By placing Adamčiak within the broader contexts of art, we emphasize the international significance of his work. At the same time, we understand his practice as deeply rooted in the specific cultural and historical context of Slovakia. Adamčiak’s multi-layered programme was created mainly in an environment where culture was divided by the totalitarian regime into official and unofficial spheres. This brought him challenges, suffering, and both minor and major victories.

Lucia Gregorová Stach