Stano Masár (*1971)
Stray Art, 2009
mobile object, trolley, wooden boxes, gear, motor, 100 x 70 x 100 cm
acquired by purchasing from the author in 2013 (grant of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic)
The category of art dealing with the art itself has been present for decades, considering not only the issue of the “vanishing” of art in everyday life, but also a phenomenon difficult to grasp: the question of what makes something art. Additionally, the questions of artistic mechanisms, its functioning and institutional background are other aspects important for Stano Masár regarding this category of art. Again, the author´s style is apparent in this case: he uses paraphrases, visual metaphors and focuses on banality. His installations are based on elements that we a priori do not consider as art, but which are crucial for the presentation of Masár´s works. For example, he presents a “tired” collapsing wall of an exhibition room, or exhibits a model of an empty gallery.
The kinetic cart loaded with works packed in crates that aimlessly “strays” through the exhibition room is a trap for the viewer, who expects a typical form of art in a typical gallery adjusting, which can be (relatively) clearly identified as art. The author “disarms” this assumption: the cart is nothing more than a cart that carries something (possibly) ready for presentation. For Masár, however, the work functions in a system diverted from its axis, with different rules.
