The Green Line project brings works into the public space that reflect humanity’s relationship with nature, water, climate and the urban environment. The participating artists work with various media, from murals and object installations to participatory activities and community workshops.
“The Green Line does not view public space merely as a venue for art, but as a space for dialogue about the future of cities, the landscape and humanity’s relationship with nature. The individual works create a new map of Trenčín – one that is sensitive, ecological and open to public participation,” says project curator Oto Hudec.
The Green Line project kicked off in February 2026 with a light and photography installation by Austrian artist Oliver Ressler, *Von z podchodu, aby sme získali naspäť oblohu* (From the Underpass, to Reclaim the Sky), which addresses the climate crisis, public space, and environmental activism. The current series of interventions builds on the long-term focus of the Trenčín 2026 programme, which connects art, environmental themes and civic engagement.
The programme continues on 25 June with a public unveiling of a mural by the artist Riga23 (USA/PT).
The event will include a performance dedicated to the river as a vital part of urban life. Polish artist and environmental activist Cecylia Malik will participate in the programme with a community happening. Over the summer, the duo Anca Benera and Arnold Estefán will present the installation Who Owns the Weather? located by the Váh River between the bridge and the cycle path. The work responds to questions of climate change and introduces themes of shade, urban cooling, and ownership of natural resources to the public space.
Further interventions will take place throughout the summer and autumn. For example, Hungarian artist Tamás Kaszás is preparing an installation that functions as a beehive, whilst Slovak sculptor Martin Piaček will present the monumental work Dve figy, created from travertine, in M. R. Štefánika Park in late summer 2026. The project will culminate in the exhibition ‘The Thin Green Line’, which will open on 11 September at the County House. It will showcase works by thirteen local and international artists reflecting on environmental issues through video, objects, painting, and spatial installations.
The exhibition will run until 6 December 2026. The project will also include a bike ride around the art installations, led on 13 September by members of Bratislava’s Cyklo kuchyňa. The event will link the individual installations in the city with a discussion on public space, sustainability and environmental issues.
The project’s curator is visual artist Oto Hudec, who has long focused on themes of ecology, solidarity and social engagement in his work. The Green Line project is part of the Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture programme. This long-term programme links culture, public space, community development and environmental issues. Through artistic interventions in public space, it raises questions about climate change, our relationship to nature, and the future of cities.
Trenčín 2026 is financially supported by the City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Self-Governing Region, and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. The European Union is a partner of Trenčín 2026.
