Milan Mikula is a universal personality, an artist known on several “art scenes” – visual art, graphic design and scenography. His work on view presents challenging philosophical themes dealing with the questions of existence and living in various situations of human society. He explores the values of the world and their transfers and finds them in communication, illusion and constant transformation. These motifs appear in all elements of Mikula’s work, in which a book is not only a book, but also a puzzle and the work of art has a provocative and inseparable effect on the environment where Mikula places it.

Abandoned spaces, factory chimneys or dysfunctional church buildings often become locations of his installations. He likes working with the existing scenery of the “real world”. Mikula often refines these themes and environments with comic-absurd elements, performance and action. He is not reluctant to creatively use clichés, motifs and themes that are part of the cultural background of people from our region, from their generation and thoughtful individuals in general.

Mária Beňačková Rišková

Milan Mikula was born on 9 June 1963 in Skalica. In 1978 – 1982 he studied at the Secondary Technical School of Printing in Bratislava, in 1995 – 1997 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava with Professors Ľubomír Longauer and Juraj Bartusz.

In 1991 he started collaborating as a stage designer with dramaturge and director Anna Gamanová and theatre companies M – divadlo, Zádrapky Senica and Korbáč Myjava theatre.

Since 1992 he has participated as a co-author in the organisation and implementation of the ETUD project (experimental workshop).

In 1997, together with Jozef Jagušák, they founded the advertising agency and graphic studio RECO in Senica.

In 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006, he designed the visual identity of the Divadelná Nitra festival. In 1998 and 2006, he won awards at the “Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia 97” competition, and in 2001 was awarded the Slovak National Library Award at the 4th Biennial of Book Art in Martin.

In 2000 – 2013, he collaborated with director Dušan Vicen and with the theatres DISK Trnava, SKRAT Bratislava and the State Theatre Košice.

In 2003, he created the visual identity for the Trnava Poster Triennial international exhibition. In 2003 and 2009, he received honourable mention at the National Design Award competition, while in 2009 he also realised the visual style of the competition.

In 2005, he designed the visual identity for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Grafobal Skalica company, which won several awards at home and abroad.

He has had 30 solo exhibitions in the galleries and alternative spaces in Slovakia (GJK, Synagogue – Centre for Contemporary Art, Trnava; Kunsthalle Bratislava; Space Gallery, Bratislava; Umelka Arts Association Bratislava; Gallery 13m3, Bratislava; P. M. Bohúň Gallery, Liptovský Mikuláš, Záhorie Gallery Senica).

He has participated in more than 60 joint exhibitions of contemporary art and graphic design in Slovakia and abroad (Palac Sztuki, Krakow, Poland, Centro Cultural Alfredo Kraus, Madrid, Spain, Bienal Internacional del Cartel en México, Mexico, Wallensteinplatz, Vienna, Austria, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava, Regional Gallery of Fine Arts, Zlín, Czech Republic, Czechoslovak Pavilion, Venice, Italy, The Korea Foundation, Seoul, South Korea, Künstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria).

He creates objects, installations, environments, performance, scenography and graphic design.