Organizator

Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, the project Brain Sneezing was implemented by the Centre of Culture in Presov (Park kultúry a oddychu v Prešove - PKO). The project focused on the presentation of international humour cartoons in cultural, healthcare and educational institutions. Unpleasant and anonymous, the environment there many times evokes concerns and fears but also hope. Non-traditional exhibition space will make the atmosphere for the visitors more friendly and soothing. Thus, the project will result in a new cultural tradition, presentation of cartoon authors and treatment by “Brain sneezing”.

Emil Chlapeček
PKO director, Prešov

Brain Sneezing is the reaction releasing the fantasy of the grotesque in which the ideals of the antique perfection might meet the disillusion of the individual or community health. Once the diagnosis had been confirmed, the recipes for health improvement were sent by authors from the whole planet. A curious look in the mirror reflects the absurdity of life situations caused by the deformation of thinking and by the opposition of ideals and illusions. Loud laughter cannot be heard at the exhibition, but the soul reaches catharsis and the brain is tempted to sneeze again.

Peter Rázus
project author and coordinator

An ideal ball is like a brain – it has two hemispheres. But is the brain and its activity entirely ideal? The brain is the topic that cartoonists from all over the world were to cope with. A human without a brain doesn't exist. So, is it worth the effort to make fun of the brain, which is responsible for all our deeds? Brain diseases are most cruel of them all; they change the way we think and can make other organs insensitive. The suggested topic is difficult, and at the same time, a provoking one. In the received drawings we could see the motifs that were laughing at the brain as well as the sketches depicting thinking and desires. People think, create, invent and head towards perfection and ideals. Their success and failure can be seen in the drawings sent to this competition. The authors use various themes; some focus on spiritual values while others’ approach is coarse and boorish, with the brain turning into shit. But this is the role of satiric drawing – to measure brain like an organ, like a piece of meat, but also like the highest form of civilization and a symbol of free will. Cartoonists by their drawings try to show the “brainless” that brain does exist and that satiric drawing is its result.


Brainiac Common
Henryk Cebula

In the Czech Republic and in Slovakia we say that „the problem is eating into one’s brain“ about someone who beats his brain out and thinks too hard. Fortunately, most authors of the new Prešov competition Brain Sneezing didn't take its name literally and gave space also to the subtitle Ideal and Idealism. Otherwise, when evaluating hundreds of cartoons even the brain with the deepest folds would start boiling or at least sneezing.

Cartoonists must be idealists at the very base of their creation; otherwise they wouldn't devote themselves to this demanding but underestimated art (cartoons drawing). Realists claim that it is rather masochism than idealism that has joined the participants of this competition together. To be awarded in such a broad competition is for many of them just an unrealisable ideal!

When speaking about the attendance, the Prešovian novice should not feel humble in this year calendar packed with world cartoon competitions and festivals. Among the cartoonists there are a lot of laureates of traditional European competitions. Altogether two hundred authors from 44 countries from all five continents confirm that at the very beginning of the project, the town in Eastern Slovakia was able to attract almost everyone from the world top. Of course, only those who feel like competing. The most renowned European artists prefer exhibiting their artworks and do not challenge the young generation, coming mainly from the East, to competition.

But even in competitions, the awards are not the only goal as the authors´ main desire is to have their works displayed. They wish not only to see their drawing and name in a catalogue but also to leave a trace in the visitor’s brain. In my memory, it is written that in the Czech Republic we have only one international competition (once in two years in Písek). And in Prešov (including a traditional contest for the Golden Keg) two competitions have been held this year.... So let the organisers´ enviable activity continue for the pleasure of authors and lovers of cartoon humour!


Ivan Hanousek

„Humor je soľ zeme. Kto je ním dobre presolený, uchová sa dlho čerstvý.“
(Humour is the salt of earth. Those well salted will stay fresh for a long time)

(Karel Čapek) 

I was very pleased to get the invitation to the jury of the international humour cartoon exhibition „Brain Sneezing“. It was when choosing my favourites that I started to be sadly aware of the lack of humour in my everyday life. Before, every week I used to buy Roháč or Dikobraz. It did not matter where I opened these magazines - I had to laugh. If I was in the street, the passersby might have been envious of my laughter. If my friends and acquaintances saw me, they stopped by. Everybody wanted to laugh. Humour is perhaps the most miraculous thing in the world. Nowadays I lack it badly. I watch TV very little, and there is nothing funny there; I do not know current magazines; I am on the Internet a lot, but I do not search for humour but for information. If I meet a friend who has a sense of humour, I cannot part from them. Generally, I miss humour. This nice exhibition has reminded me that, somehow, I keep forgetting about it. So I sneezed and launched my humour engines, covered in old ash. Thanks go to cartoons, thanks go to humour cartoonists from all over the world. Long live Humour! Away with solemn brain, let’s sneeze, friends, to sneezing!

Peter Kocák

I like formulae, essences, definitions, simple sentences, main points, results of outstanding intellectual performances. The revelation of complex phenomena, relief, smile, laughter,  roar of laughter... Cartoons have always attracted me, mainly those without words (I am proud that I can understand most of them).

I have bought all profile books of the most renowned cartoonists. I have got a lot of experience with judging performances of children, amateurs, professionals and the disabled in various competitions, both national and international. And I cannot resist friendly invitations, so I found myself in Prešov. It was great. Professionals do not need to speak a lot. And there was also „mačanka“ – a local traditional dish.

I often think about seriousness in art. Of course, I also think about humour. Sometimes it seems to me that humour cartoons are very close to conceptual art. While humour drawing can hardly pretend something, „fine art“ finds „spiritless“ and heavy philosophism almost obligatory. I have already presented my „private discovery“ of unbelievable closeness of the celebrated cartoonist Saul Steinberg to „serious art“ of Paul Klee. It does not matter whether discoveries are made in the Silicon Valley or in Prešov.

Miroslav Cipár

The general public in the town of Prešov as well as many authors and fans of humour cartoons know that so far I have organized 17 years of the Golden Leg - an international humour cartoon competition on the topic of BEER. The idea to organize such a competition was initiated in a close circle of the editorial board of the satirical and humour magazine Bumerang as expression of some kind of gratitude to the then management of the Šariš Brewery, which edited this semimonthly from 1994 to 1997.

As my closest co-worker, my brother Miro, moved to Bratislava many years ago, I have been editing the magazine and organizing the competition just by myself. But it is not a complaint. What I want to say is that I have reasonably long-term experience in running such activities in this corner of the world. When the organizers of a new cartoon competition addressed me to give a hand to this „brain stroke“, I was pleased to address notable persons to come to the jury or to do a graphic layout of the catalogue, because of several reasons:

1. They did not ask for money but for help and advice. I accepted the request because as a saying goes you cannot help to someone who does not listen to your advice (komu niet rady, tomu niet pomoci).

2. I do not consider another cartoon contest a rival; on the contrary, as a local patriot I am glad that in “my“ town is a new competition of this kind, which is a unique world phenomenon in comparable towns. This is what both Prešov citizens and authorities should understand and appreciate.

In conclusion, a few words about the authors: I don´t think that I should take part in every humour event in the region. Nevertheless, in the end, I joined the jury. And so, on behalf of the whole jury, I can claim that we were judging and judged objectively and responsibly. But I also think that if another jury had made a decision or even the same jury on another day, the result might have been different. Among a large number of cartoons there were so many other works of high quality that, under the above-mentioned conditions, also other works might have been awarded. But it is always like this. The assigned jury judges in certain moments a number of works and a number of non-awarded authors then judge the jury.

Fedor Vico