„I accept the complaint of the victims as justified,” stated Bohunka Koklesová, the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava in her statement published on Wednesday.
In April 2022, she addressed the Academy’s Ethics Board to open proceedings in the case of suspected unethical behaviour of professor Ivan Csudai. The case was published in Slovak media and social networks. The Ethic Board consisting of experts from within and outside the Academy of Fine Arts and Design gathered testimonies shedding light on the treatment of the lector towards his students in the period 2008-2012. Following these testimonies, the rector concluded that Ivan Csudai, the head of the 4th studio of the Painting Department “violated the principle of equal treatment as defined by the Anti-Discrimination Act, committed psychological violence and induced physical violence, humiliation, ridicule and bullying against male and female students, did not respect the freedom of speech and critical thinking and created an intimidating environment at the Department of Painting”.
The rector apologised on behalf of the school to students and contemporary artists Ivana Satekova, Katarina Sido and Ev van Hettmer. For the magazine ArtTalk.cz, Hettmer said that her work was assessed badly as she did not let her teacher manipulate her and touch her. Due to their conflict, she left the Academy. In 2022, she became the laureate of the significant Oskar Cepan Award for artists aged under 40. The international jury particularly appreciated "the urgency, boldness, wit and wisdom she has shown in confronting sexism in the environment of art, culture, and also all around."
According to the Academy’s rector Bohunka Koklesova , this case revealed the fundamental lack of tools that would allow the school to sanction such behaviour. SME daily informed that Ivan Csudai is leaving the Academy following an agreement with the rector.
Source: AFAD, SME, RTVS
