Igor BENCA
Igor BENCA
Born 1958, Topoľčany, Slovakia
Lives and works in Koriarovce, Nitra and Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
“Graphics is a bizarre trace of an idea, a kind of art in which an artist materializes his idea into a printing matrix. This process takes quite a long time and is technologically demanding. It is alchemy of spirit and matter. The artist must be creative, precise, technically skilled, theoretically proficient and persistent. He must believe that all the effort he puts into the matrix will ultimately prove to be the perfect materialization of his imagination, his fantasy, his legacy which he wants to communicate with. What is unique is that this patiently and arduously created artifact which requires so much intellectual and technical effort will eventually end up in the dark closet of a graphic art and graphic art studio, or be destroyed. Only the imprint of the matrix is exhibited for admiration in the gallery. The solid body disappears in the dark and we only see fragile paper with a trace of ephemeral idea shimmering in bright light… it is a metaphor for man and that is what is amazing about graphics.”
Biography
1981-1987 Academy of Fine arts and Design, department of Printmaking and Book Illustration, Bratislava, Slovakia
1990 Scholarship, Centre Frans Masereel, Kasterlee, Belgium
1991-2004 Lecturer, Department of Arts Education, University of Constantine the Philosopher, Nitra, Slovakia
1998 Associate Professor, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava, Slovakia
2001 Head, Graphic Studio of Free Creation, Faculty of Fine Arts, Academy of Arts, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
2010 Lecturer, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Oulu, Finland
2003-2011 Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts, Academy of Arts, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
2009-2011 Author, Trans / Medical Space of Medicine Project, Slovakia
2012-2019 Vice-Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts, Academy of Arts, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
2015-2016 Lecturer, Faculty of Arts of Jan Dlugosz, University of Czestochowa, Poland
2016 Cooperation with the Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
2016-2019 Vice-Rector, Academy of Arts, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
2019- Dean, Faculty of Arts, Academy of Arts, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Member Association of Slovak Graphic Artists; Association Hollar, Czech Republic; Society of Scottish Artists
Awards/selection/
1990, 1994, 1996 Medal, Biennial Ex libris, Malbork, Poland
1995 1st Prize – Kontakt – Grafik ’95, Prague, Czech Republic
1st Prize, The Most Beautiful Post Stamp of the Year 1994, Slovakia
1996 Award of Excellence, The Space Group of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
1999 Silver Medal, 1st International Exhibition of Ex libris and Small Prints, Beijing, China
2000 Award, 5th Triennale Mondiale de l’Estampe et de la Gravure Originale, Chamalières, France
2005 Prize for Graphic Arts, 8th International Biennial, Győr, Hungary
Solo and group exhibitions since 1989 in Europe, South Korea, China, Canada, USA etc.
His artistic creation includes painting, printmaking, especially in serigraphy, etching and mezzotint, book illustrations, ex libris, drawing and postage stamp design /author of 27 postage stamps issued by Slovak Post/.
facebook: Igor Benca//e-mail: benca@aku.sk