Jozef Bajus, “Everything Stays”

Buffalo Arts Studio is pleased to present “Everything Stays,” a solo exhibition by Buffalo-based artist Jozef Bajus, on view from September 26 through November 7, 2025. An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 26, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm as part of M&T Fourth Friday at Tri-Main.

Originally conceived as a reimagining of studio materials collected over the past twenty years, the direction of “Everything Stays” shifted dramatically following a personal loss. While preparing for the exhibition, Bajus’s father, a highly skilled and respected tailor in Slovakia, passed away. His father’s craftsmanship had profoundly influenced Bajus’s artistic journey, and after his passing, the artist spent time in his father’s workshop surrounded by the tools and remnants of a life dedicated to making.

Reflecting on his childhood, Bajus recalls:

“As a young boy, I used to play in my dad’s workshop. The magical world of multi-colored threads and fabrics filled with the smell of ironing and the droning engine of a sewing machine felt both interesting and natural. I remember pins stuck in unfinished seams, basting stitches in semi-finished jackets, and the contrast of white thread on linen or shiny lining cloth. Under my father’s hands, these stitches became pads, pockets, and collars. I was fascinated by removing stitches, and my father gladly entrusted me with this small but important task.”

In the wake of his father’s passing, Bajus returned to that workshop and found himself surrounded by unfinished garments, zippers, buttons, threads, pins, needles, and fabric scraps materials waiting for transformation. Unable to leave them behind in Slovakia, he brought many of these items back to his studio in Western New York, incorporating them into new works that honor his father’s artistry and legacy.

For more information about Buffalo Arts Studio, please visit www.buffaloartsstudio.org