Bratislava Illustration Biennale 2025 hit by boycott

September 13, 2025

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Bratislava Illustration Biennale 2025 hit by boycott

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More than 65 illustrators have announced a boycott of the Bratislava Illustration Biennale (BIB) 2025, refusing to submit their work for this year’s nomination exhibition, which is intended to showcase the best of Slovak children’s book illustration.

In a joint statement, the illustrators criticised Bibiana, the International House of Art for Children that organises the Biennale, for failing to operate as a democratic cultural institution.

“The International House of Art for Children Bibiana, which organises the Bratislava Illustration Biennale, has long – not just in the past year and a half – failed to function as a democratic cultural institution,” they said.

“Our goal is not to destroy the tradition represented by the Biennale, but rather to protect its integrity, restore its strength, dignity and artistic standards, and ensure it once again becomes a credible space for presenting children’s illustration.”

The 30th edition of BIB will take place from October 3, 2025, to January 11, 2026, at the Slovak National Gallery. The biennale features international competitions of original illustrations for children and young adults, presenting the best work produced in the last two years.

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The boycott highlights long-standing concerns over transparency and alleged ideological influence in the institution’s decision-making. Illustrators note that “without fundamental changes at Bibiana, we cannot, with a clear conscience, legitimise the current state and development of the institution with our participation in BIB.”

Signatories are demanding open and transparent selection processes for all professional positions at Bibiana, including the role of BIB general commissioner. They also call for fair judging of artworks for nomination exhibitions by a professional jury, “which should be regularly rotated and itself refrain from competing in the given edition.”

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Not the first boycott

Earlier this year, nearly 60 members of the Slovak Illustrators’ Association (ASIL) had already boycotted submissions for the Slovak illustrator exhibition. The protest follows controversy over missing artworks. In August, the TOTO! gallery published a catalogue of 330 illustrations acquired since 2009, but Bibiana only provided a list of 45 works in response to an official information request. “Once a state institution purchases or receives something, it cannot just disappear! Where are they?” asked the illustrators.

Bibiana and Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová have denied wrongdoing under the current director, Petra Flach, and attribute any missing works to the tenure of previous director Zuzana Liptáková. Liptáková declined to comment.

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This is not the first boycott Bibiana has faced. Earlier this year, several Slovak publishing houses also refused to participate in the “Most Beautiful Book of Slovakia” competition, citing mismanagement and non-transparent leadership. The current director’s appointment without a public hearing sparked protests from staff, the festival animation team, and the editorial board of Bibiana Revue, who accused her of censorship.

The boycott underscores growing tensions in the Slovak cultural scene over governance, transparency and artistic integrity at one of the country’s flagship illustration events.