Once again this year, the Kysihýbel Forestry Arboretum in Banská Štiavnica became a place where art meets nature.
During the latest edition of the VLNOOBJEKT art workshop, three new sculptures were created here by Andrej Šoka, Marek Galbavý and Vlado Lofaj, along with a painting by Ivan Slovenčák, expanding the Outdoor Gallery of Modern Sculpture.
The idea of creating an outdoor gallery of modern art in Kysihýbel Arboretum dates back to 2022. At the time, DMO Región Banská Štiavnica joined forces with the VLNOPLOCHA civic association and the artist and sculptor Andrej Šoka. The aim was to bring contemporary art into a natural, publicly accessible space and, at the same time, to give people a new reason to explore the arboretum in Kysihýbel and other less-visited places around Banská Štiavnica.
‘We try to bring visitors not only to the historic centre of Banská Štiavnica, but also to other attractive places in the town and the region. Kysihýbel is a lovely example of a place that has a value of its own and can keep offering visitors something new. The outdoor gallery is one of those things,’ said Dušan Káčer, Executive Director of DMO Región Banská Štiavnica.
The format of an annual art workshop matters not only for the gallery itself, but also for visitors. While the works are being made, they can watch the artists at work and see a piece take shape in their hands that will remain part of the space after the workshop ends. Each new edition also gives visitors a fresh reason to return to the arboretum.
The gallery has been growing since 2022
The first edition produced five wooden sculptures and five paintings. Some of the sculptures remained in the arboretum, while others stand in public spaces in Banská Štiavnica. In 2023, more sculptures were added, along with an information board at the entrance to the grounds. A year later, the gallery got its own website with an overview of the individual works, information about the artists and a map showing where the works are located, both within the arboretum and beyond. The works were also given new labels with QR codes. In 2025, the gallery expanded to include paintings. Five pictures created during the workshop were installed in the glass-walled building of the training centre, where they are open to the public.
‘VLNOOBJEKT shows that art doesn’t have to stay shut away within gallery walls. In Kysihýbel, a natural connection is forming between the artworks, the forest and the historic setting of the arboretum. In a single visit, you can see rare trees, stroll around the grounds and discover contemporary art,’ adds Daniela Volenská, Chair of the regional destination management organisation Banskobystrický kraj Turizmus.
Behind each edition of VLNOOBJEKT lie several years of collaboration and a gradually widening circle of artists. Sculptures have been created here by Andrej Šoka, Marek Galbavý, Peter Barta, Richard Aradský, Šimon Chyla, Jozef Suchoža, Marek Štuller, Andrej Haršány, Tomáš Roubal, Marek Halász, Ľuboš Gajdoš, Matúš Kurdel and Vlado Lofaj. Painters and visual artists Matúš Maťásko, Marek Jarrota, Lucia Horváthová, Ľudmila Machová, Filip Sabol, Ľubomíra Chylová Sekerášová, Nikola Šušovicová, Michaela Šuranská, Magdaléna Masárová and Ivan Slovenčák have enriched the gallery with their work. Intermedia and multimedia art at the workshop has been represented by Martina Šoka Šottová. Each edition of the workshop is curated by Marianna Brinzová.
2026: sculptors and students
In 2026, the workshop took place in a more intimate format. Three sculptors took part, with the emphasis on maintaining the quality and artistic standard of the new works. For the first time, the School of Applied Arts in Banská Štiavnica also joined the workshop. Its students took part in a plein-air drawing session in Kysihýbel Arboretum, and the results of their work are on display in the training centre building. The school’s teacher Ivan Slovenčák also joined the workshop as a painter.
‘Bringing professional artists together with art school students added another dimension to this year’s workshop. For a few days, the arboretum became not only a place where new sculptures were made, but also a space for observing, drawing and creating, and for bringing together different generations of artists,’ explains Andrej Šoka, co-organiser of the project.
This year’s workshop has resulted in three new sculptures, installed right in the grounds of Kysihýbel Arboretum. They are now part of the Outdoor Gallery of Modern Sculpture. Each work also has an information plaque with a QR code, through which visitors will be able to find out more about the individual works and their creators.
Long-term sustainability is another important part of the project. The National Forest Centre runs and maintains the grounds, while DMO Región Banská Štiavnica looks after the artworks. The outdoor gallery thus remains a permanent feature of the site and can grow with new works every year.
How to get there
The Kysihýbel Forestry Arboretum can be reached from Banská Štiavnica on foot or by bike, and lies on the cycle route linking Banská Štiavnica, the Calvary and Banská Belá. A visit to the gallery can easily be part of a trip, a walk or a bike ride beyond the historic town centre.
Organisers: DMO Región Banská Štiavnica, VLNOPLOCHA civic association, Andrej Šoka
Partners: National Forest Centre / Kysihýbel Forestry Arboretum, School of Applied Arts in Banská Štiavnica
The project was funded by the membership contribution of the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region Development Agency, amounting to €8,000, and was made possible thanks to financial support of €4,000 from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic.
Photo: L. Lužina
