International Women’s Day: Introducing Eka

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, and on this occasion we would like to introduce Viera Gašparíková (Eka), the remarkable woman behind the name of EKAiR Residency. A distinguished folklorist, Eka dedicated her life to the study and preservation of Slovak folk narratives. Referred to as “the first lady of Slovak fairy tales”, she worked at the Institute of Ethnology for almost 50 years and left behind a monumental legacy, including the three-volume collection Slovenské ľudové rozprávky (1993, 2001, 2004).

She devoted many years to research on folkloric portrayal of events from the Slovak National Uprising and published numerous studies on the image of anti-fascist resistance heroes, as well as the relationship between historical reality and its folkloric interpretation.

EKAiR Residency is a homage to Eka’s lifelong dedication to culture, storytelling, and knowledge. Write us and explore EKAir residency.