Nico Bernath Launches Eponymous Gallery After a Decade with VUNU

Nico Bernath, a Slovak-Hungarian gallerist and curator based in Vienna, has announced the closure of VUNU's commercial chapter and the launch of a new gallery under his own name, nico bernath. After ten years running VUNU, which began in 2016 in a squat in Košice without electricity or running water and later expanded to Bratislava and Vienna, Bernath felt the need for a reboot. The decision came suddenly during Easter holidays while visiting family in a rural Slovak-Hungarian border area. He called a friend, now a business partner, who immediately agreed. The new gallery opens with a group show titled "To Cross Arms While Holding Hands" from April 29, featuring five artists: Mária Bartuszová, Klára Hosnedlová, Zsófia Keresztes, Réka Lőrincz, and Ľuba Šlechtová. Bernath owns the new space in Bratislava, eliminating landlord accountability. VUNU will continue as a non-profit in Košice, focusing on curatorial projects and institutional collaborations like Kunsthalle c/o VUNU. Bernath also co-organizes the first Gallery Weekend Bratislava in June with Steinhauser Gallery and collector Gabriel Bishop, uniting 12 commercial galleries. He cites the challenging political climate in Slovakia and cuts to cultural funding as motivators for resilience. The first fair under nico bernath will be Riga Contemporary in July.