Artwife festival 2026

ARTWIFE is formed as a multidisciplinary festival that presents contemporary artwith a strong focus on feminist and gender issues. Furthermore, ouraim is to curate a space where art, activism and academia coexist andcreate new and imaginary connections. It is an interdisciplinary andinternational event that takes place annually in LiptovskýMikuláš. ARTWIFE is organized by the cultural center „Diera dosveta“ with feminism as one of the main dramaturgical lines. Itis a culmination of a year-long efforts of this "peripheral"center, which boldly ventures into controversial topics in order tostimulate/activate local audiences and at the same time sensitizethem to the fragility of other lives. Thanks to its originaldramaturgy, the festival is unique not only in the context ofSlovakia, but also beyond its borders. The main aim of the festivalis to bring feminist thinking to the public through a variety offormats, but especially through contemporary art. In addition to theartistic program, educational formats are essential; they respond tothe artistic events and reflect on it. Thanks to this fusion, thefestival manages to connect individuals*women and groups that developfeminist thinking and at the same time actively translate it intopractice on different levels: artistic, theoretical or activist. The festival works with multiple target groups. Primarily it focuses on people who reflect feminist thinking and try to transfer it into their practice. Festival provides them with a unique opportunity to meet people focusing on the same issues, but with different expertise. Another target group is the local and extra- regional audience. The festival's dramaturgy treats this group respectfully, striving to make the programme sufficiently attractive and accessible. This has also proved to be an important aspect of the festival's establishment: systematic and patient work with the audience. As a result, the festival can afford to present an increasingly challenging and adventurous programme. One of the means of communicating the content is the interconnection of the artistic and theoretical parts, which not only complement each other, but also allow to explain or artistically process the more difficult to grasp topics. Artwife is an invitation to the general public, who are interested in feminist art and thinking and who are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone. The Artwife festival was awarded Františka Plamínková Prize in 2021.