Ateliér No. 2, January 24, 2008

Jedinečné dílo Františka Foltýna, pages 1 and 2

– Jiří Valoch: The Unique Oeuvre of František Foltýn (exhibition, Brno, Moravská galerie / Moravian Gallery, 16. 11. 2007 – 17. 2. 2008, Praha, GHMP – Dům U Kamenného zvonu / City Gallery Prague – The Stone Bell House, 7. 3. – 1. 6., book review, František Foltýn. 1891 – 1976. Košice – Paříž – Brno / František Foltýn. 1891 – 1976. Košice – Paris – Brno. Edited by Hana Rousová. Texts by Petr Ingerle, Marie Klimešová, Marcela Macharáčková, Alena Pomajzlová, Anna Pravdová, Hana Rousová, Karel Srp. Lay Out by Zdeněk Ziegler. Moravská galerie v Brně and Arbor vitae, Řevnice, 2007. 243 pp., illustrations)

The retrospective exhibition and accompanying publication are adequate to the importance of the oeuvre of František Foltýn. Foltýn was a pioneer of the mid-war abstraction who enriched this trend with a unique concept – biomorphic abstraction – that differed from the mainstream of abstract art. The team of curators, headed by Hana Rousová, prepared a major project. The optimum version of the curators’ concept, based on discovering and interpreting complex contexts of Foltýn’s life and work, is represented by the exhibition catalogue (including the CD with the complete list of Foltýn’s works). Valoch finds particularly important that Foltýn’s pre-abstract works created in Košice and Paris, and his two returns to abstraction – in the 1940s and the 1960s – were examined and reconsidered. Taking in consideration the fact that even Foltýn’s close friends in Czechoslovakia disregarded abstract art, Valoch admires Foltýn’s persistent returns to abstractions. Valoch finds excellent all catalogue essays: Marcela Macharáčková: Early Oeuvre: Bratislava – Košice 1920 – 1922, Alena Pomajzlová: Košice Figuration 1922 – 1925, Anna Pravdová: In the Centre of Paris Events: Abstraction 1924 – 1934, Karel Srp: Roots of Foltýn’s Abstraction, Hana Rousová: The Influence on Czech Abstraction in the 1930s. 1929 – 1935, Marie Klimešová: At Home: Shapes in the Shapeless World 1938 – 1976. The documents were edited by Anna Pravdová, Hana Rousová and Marie Klimešová. Petr Ingerle contributed by Foltýn’s biography. The publication is rich in information and new interpretations of Foltýn’s life and work. The exhibition starts with a section of Foltýn’s early works created in Bratislava and Košice. Valoch point out that Foltýn was not an aesthete who wanted to make fine paintings. The authentic knowledge, the understanding of particular phenomena as artistic values were cardinal for him. Foltýn’s early output could be described as Expressionist; it was characterized by the radical reduction of colours and syntax. Most motifs of his early works were landscapes in Transcarpathian Ukraine and East Slovakia, and motifs from Russian literature. This period was summarized in two monumental portraits of Dostoyevsky and Raskolnikov. The drawing Imperialism (1924) was a fascinating synthesis of modern art. Valoch points out the importance of Foltýn’s stay in Paris from 1924 to 1934. In 1924, Foltýn created first of his Paris abstractions. The autonomy of the composition, expressed through the relations between lines and planes, was cardinal of Foltýn’s paintings. From his early works, Foltýn’s abstractions were distinguished in the dynamic character and authenticity. The uniqueness and loneliness of Foltýn’s abstract oeuvre resulted from the fact that – in contrast to most representatives of Abstract art – Foltýn did not apply the impersonal language of “rectangular” geometry. Foltýn’s abstraction was characterized by biomorphic colour planes and curves. He enriched the rational concept with the subjective. Some of Czech artists understood Foltýn’s biomorphic abstraction the universal language of modern art. Curated by Hana Rousová, the section focused on Foltýn’s influence on Czech abstraction is really revealing. In the early 1940, Foltýn returned to landscape painting, characterized by “the grey monochrome” that echoed the war tragedy. Foltýn was a convinced Communist and a sensitive artist. Valoch has not changed his mind regarding Foltýn’s 1940s- and 1950s-landscapes – he does not like them. He finds cardinal Foltýn’s returns to abstractions. In spite of his landscapes periods, Foltýn was a pioneer of abstract art within Czechoslovak and international contexts.

Křičte ústa!, page 2

– Alena Pomajzlová: Scream Mouth! (book review, Křičte ústa! Předpoklady expresionismu / Scream Mouth! Roots of Expressionism. Edited by Marie Rakušanová. Texts by Petr Wittlich, Vojtěch Lahoda, Marie Rakušanová, Karel Srp. Lay Out by Luboš Drtina – Miroslav Kloss. Academia, Praha 2007. 442 pp., 397 illustrations)

The scholarly publication, examining the roots of Expressionism, accompanied the major exhibition of the same title, held at the Municipal Library (Gallery City Prague) from November 28, 2006 to March 4, 2007 (see At. 1/07). The focal theme of the project was the continuity of Czech art at the turn of the 19th and 20th century. The publication examines the two themes – the roots of Expressionism and the continuity of the elder and younger generations of Czech artists in the beginning of the 20th century. Pomajzlová thinks that the latter theme is crucial. Petr Wittlich examined this theme from a different point of view, for example in his book Czech Art Nouveau (1982) and the exhibition Intimate Space / New Remoteness (Prague Municipal House, 1997), pointing out the mutual connections between particular styles, classified according to the Modernist model as the succession of -isms. Within this context, the project Scream Mouth! contributes to the contemporary trends reconsidering the traditional art historical categories and theses. Regarding the first theme – the roots of Expressionism – Pomajzlová points out that the understanding of the term “Expressionism” is not explicit. The coalescence of various influences was characteristic of Czech art of the beginning of the 20th century, so that the application of the term Expressionism is difficult and questionable. Pomajzlová sums up: the crucial theme of the project Scream Mouth! is examining the characteristics of modern art – “the roots of Expressionism” is one of the possible viewing angles. Pomajzlová holds opinion that the publication under review is more complex and better well-balanced than the exhibition, nevertheless the quality of some reproductions is unfortunately poor.

Černý pátek českého designu aneb Design centrum ČR – přežitá instituce?, page 3

– Jiří Hulák: The Black Friday of Czech Design or Design Centre of the Czech Republic – Discontinuous institution? (discussion)

On Friday October 19, 2007, Luboš Vaněk, the vice-minister of Industry and Trade, announced that the Design Centre of the Czech Republic would be disestablished on December 31, 2007 – despite that the Ministry of Industry and Trade had declared the intention to establish a new model of supporting industrial design in the Czech Republic in their press release of June 11, 2007. Unfortunately, it was not true – the Ministry neither considered any “alternative model” nor discussed it with experts. They only announced that the Design Centre would be disestablished. This decision was criticized by major representatives of art and design, including the director of the National Gallery in Prague Milan Knížák and the president of BEDA (Bureau of European Design Associations) Michael Thomson who sent a letter to the Czech prime minister. The minister of Industry and Trade Martin Říman holds opinion that the support of design and education in this field are “residues”, outdated in the era of the developed Capitalism. The Design Centre was established in 1991. The Design Centre was a member of ICSID (International Council of Societies for Industrial Design, since 1959), ICOGRADA (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and BEDA. Design is supported by governments in many countries, including Germany. The Czech Republic is the first country which deliberately gives up the membership in the aforementioned organizations. After the Design Centre has been disestablished, there is no institute in the Czech Republic to coordinate the collaboration between designers and industrial companies, to organize competitions for designers and young designers etc. Hulák thinks that education in this field is necessary – it particularly concerns the minister of Industry and Trade.

Příliš předčasný odchod, page 3

– Jiří Valoch: A Very Premature Death (necrologue)

Jan Jakub Kotík died of cancer on December 13, 2007. Kotík was born to a family with the long artistic traditions (his mother Charlotte Kotík is an art historian and theorist, his father Petr Kotík is a composer and a musician, his grandfather Jan Kotík and great grandfather Pravoslav Kotík were famous painters) in the USA in 1972. After the Velvet Revolution, he returned to the country his parents had emigrated from. He was contributing to the Czech art by original creations, distinguished in combining the political themes and social criticism with aesthetic dimensions.

Za Miladou Einhornovou, page 3

– In Memory of Milada Einhornová (necrologue)

The photographer Milada Einhornová (born 1925) died on November 25, 2007. She was internationally well-known thanks to photo stories Ricky (1958) and They Called Him Frkos (text by Pavel Kohout, 1963). From the 1960s onwards, she collaborated with her husband photographer Pavel Einhorn (1928 – 2006) in many photographic publications (Golden Prague, My Country).

Zemřel Ladislav Fládr, page 3

– Ladislav Fládr Died (necrologue)

The sculptor, medallist and art teacher Ladislav Fládr (born 1935) died on August 29, 2007. He was particularly well-known as a medallist; he won international awards in this field.

Dana Holá-Charvátová, page 3

– Dana Holá-Charvátová (necrologue)

The painter, printmaker and textile artist Dana Holá-Charvátová (born 1938) died on August 21, 2007. She was renowned in the field of textile design and contributed to the field of fine art by tapestries, collages, drawings and prints.

František Peterka zemřel, page 3

– František Peterka Died (necrologue)

The painter, printmaker and illustrator František Peterka (born 1920) died on September 11, 2007. He contributed to the field of fine and applied arts with prints, drawings, collages, illustrations, poster designs and metal sculptures.

Výstava Ondřeje Horáka, page 4

– Jan Horák: The Ondřej Horák Exhibition (exhibition, Praha, Vinohradský pavilon / Vinohrady Pavilion, 17. 12. 2007 – 3. 1. 2008)

The Ondřej Horák (1976) exhibition in one of interventions to the public space. The management of the Vinohrady Pavilion department store offered the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague to present students’ works at two empty stores. Five exhibitions were held there. Horák’s project was based on the combination of a spatial installation with paintings. His works could be described as “examining the possible relations between the city and the painting”. The cardinal theme of Horák’s project is the story of inception, existence and extinction. Horák’s project was based on his previous installation displayed within the exhibition Art in Box, held in Budapest one year ago. In Budapest, Horák combined the object with the painting for the first time. The expressive, mostly figurative paintings, were installed in a “room”, evoking an atmosphere in-between the everyday and the mysterious. Horák’s project was distinguished in expressiveness and humour.

Jan Stolín: 60 – 120 Frames Per Second, page 4

– Jiří Valoch: Jan Stolín: 60 – 120 Frames Per Second (exhibition, Brno, Dům umění – Dům pánů z Kunštátu, Galerie 99 / House of Art – House of the Lords of Kunštát, Gallery 99, 14. 11. 2007 – 6. 1. 2008)

Jan Stolín (1966) has contributed by complex installations based on the combination of the language of geometry with the new media. He is an original artist, well-known of the computer-generated polyvalent visuality. In Brno, he enriched the language of geometry with quotations from pornography. Confronting the two visualities – the banality of pornography and the purity of geometric graphemes – the dominant message of his work was the speed of changing sequentions and colours. An important part of his project was the colour interpretation of the architecture; the exhibition space was turned changeable due to the changeability of the electronic image.

Kytky v popelnici, page 4

– Jana Pauly: Flowers in the Dustbin (exhibition, Praha, Uměleckoprůmyslové muzeum / Museum of Decorative Arts, 7. 12. 2007 – 17. 2. 2008)

The exhibition Flowers in the Dustbin – Society and Fashion in Czechoslovakia in the Seventies echoes the depressant atmosphere of the period of the so called “Normalization of Socialism”. The items on display evidence the creativeness of designers and people in Czechoslovakia affected by the political oppression, insufficient supply of materials and technologies and “prevented” from being influenced by the West. The set of items on display – clothes, accessories etc. made by industrial companies, designers and domestic makers, document the clothing and the lifestyle in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. The exhibition is accompanied by the screening of a film compiled of fashion weekly journals and an education programme. On the occasion of the exhibition, the publication Flowers in the Dustbin. Society and Fashion in Czechoslovakia in the Seventies, including essays by Pavel Kosatík and the curator Konstantina Hlaváčková, was published.

Krajiny člověka, page 5

– Sylva Cidlinská: Landscapes of Man (exhibition, Vyškov, Knihovna Karla Dvořáčka – Galerie V rohu / Karel Dvořáček Library – Gallery At the Corner, 16. 11. 2007 – 3. 1. 2008)

Markéta Prokopová (1976) contributed by washed drawings in Indian ink and etchings – original portraits of the members of her family, her friends and people she had met only once. Prokopová’s spontaneous pictures are based on the idea that what we can see in the illusion only. She has portrayed gestures, motions, touches and memories in form of refined abstract compositions.

Jednou večer – Sny?, page 5

– Gabriela Imreczeová. One Evening – Dreams? (exhibition, Brno, Muzeum romské kultury / Museum of Roma Culture, 28. 9. 2007 – 4. 2. 2008)

Věra Kotlárová (1980), a student at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno, department headed by Václav Stratil, selected seven large-scale paintings and drawings for the exhibition at the Museum of Roma Culture. She fixed her works on the wall unframed, so that the pictures are as unbound as the theme of her pictures – dreams and dreaming. Kotlárová composes her works of fantasies and memories, expressing her feelings through shapes and colours. She works with untraditional painting techniques, including finger painting, painting on patterned textiles etc. The set of pictures is accompanied by the acoustic project of “speaking pictures” – narrations of Kotlárová’s short stories.

Dobré důvody, page 5

– Martin Dostál: Good Reasons (exhibition, Olomouc, Galerie Caesar / Caesar Gallery, 3. 1. – 26. 1.)

František Matoušek (1967) is well-known of his pictures made of unstitched denim. The themes of his pictures are “private” – his life, his family, his melancholy, his joy, his journeys, his enthusiasm... Thanks to it, his works echo more general messages than the media clichés. The theme of one of his newest work is the interior of the St. Vitus cathedral in Prague.

Hledání souvislostí, page 5

– Kateřina Pažoutová: Searching for the Contexts (exhibition, Brno, Galerie Dolmen / Dolmen Gallery, 16. 12. 2007 – 13. 1. 2008)

Jan Nohel (1974) has contributed by oils on canvas that echo the contemporary world – its superficiality, everdayness and broader contexts of things. The themes of his Pop Realistic works range from ice hockey to religious motifs, animals and visions.

Cesta do Patagonie, page 5

– Alžběta Petřinová: A Journey to Patagonia (exhibition, Praha, Galerie Via Art / Via Art Gallery, 4. 12. 2007 – 31. 1. 2008)

Jaroslav Róna (1957) presents a set of 14 paintings and 2 sculptures that echo his imaginations of Patagonia. He mixes reality and fancy, legends, the history and the future. The dark lonely landscapes with almost invisible traces of human activities evokes a feeling of timelessness and undefined space. The existential dimension of Róna’s work is balanced by sarcasm and rough humour. Róna is one of major contemporary Czech artists. The style of his paintings and sculptures are fascinating and original.

Václav Hollar (1607 – 1677) a Evropa mezi životem a zmarem, page 6

– Zdeněk Kazlepka: Wenceslas Hollar (1607 – 1677) and Europe between Life and Destruction (exhibition, Praha, Národní galerie – Palác Kinských / National Gallery – Kinsky Palace, 12. 10. 2007 – 13. 1. 2008)

The Wenceslas Hollar (1607 – 1677) exhibition was held on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the birth and the 330th anniversary of the death of this famous printmaker of Czech origin. Born to a noble family in Prague, Hollar, settled in London, travelled through Europe documenting a scale of phenomena, ranging from cityscapes, fashion and historical and social events in Europe during the troublesome period of thirty-years-war. The curator Alena Volrábová pointed the two aspects of Hollar’s oeuvre – the art and the document. The National Gallery in Prague owns the largest collection of Hollar’s etchings and drawings in the world. The representative set of Hollar’s prints and drawings on display was enriched with loans from London, Manchester and Berlin. The exhibition was accompanied by a lavish catalogue (Czech and English versions).

Vesnice jako symbol světa, page 6

– Bohdana Kerbachová: The Village as the Symbol of the World (exhibition, Praha, GHMP – Dům U Kamenného zvonu / City Gallery Prague – The Stone Bell House, 31. 10. 2007 – 3. 2. 2008)

The oeuvre of Jindřich Štreit (1946) is defined in a simplified way as the documentary photography of the village milieu. Kerbachová thinks Štreit’s photographs echo a total picture of the world. Štreit’s focal theme is man in his / her entirety, ranging from the beauty to the ugliness and / or from the humbleness to the transcendental. The humanist dimension of Štreit’s work is crucial. The impressiveness of Štreit’s black and white prints results from the photographer’s empathy and his profound interest in his models. His photographs are distinguished in the truthfulness that is enriched with humour. Curated by Tomáš Pospěch, the exhibition entitled Jindřich Štreit Photographs 1965 – 2005, is the first retrospective of this internationally renowned photographer.

Bratislavský měsíc fotografie, page 7

– Vladimír Birgus: The Bratislava Month of Photography (International festival of photography, Bratislava, various venues, November 2007, Slovenská národná galéria, Ztracený čas?/Slovak National Gallery, The Time Lost?, 30. 10. 2007 – 2. 3. 2008)

The central project of the 17th edition of the Bratislava Month of Photography was the exhibition of Slovak photography from 1969 to 1989, presented under the title The Time Lost? at the Slovak National Gallery. The curators Aurel Hrabušický and Petra Hanáková based their project on the profound research, selecting a large set of photographs from numerous public archives, museums, galleries and private archives of tens of Slovak photographers. The curators divided the exhibition into several thematic sections (Pictures of the Old World, Public Rituals, Social Body, Building and Its Results, Visual Soc-Culture, Socialist Consumer, Prefabricated Normalization, Youth, Socialist Portrait etc.) that echo the bizarrerie of the public mass festivities and the private life, including the religious traditions which survived despite the ideological pressure. The contrast between the official propaganda and the greyishness of the ordinary life is striking. The socio-historical dimension of the project is stressed by the accompanying introductory texts by Petra Hanáková. The set of items on display includes numerous lesser well-known photographs, particularly unpublished images from photographers’ private archives. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue. The project is a suggestive document of the time when “people were forced to do so many things but they were able to do almost nothing”. A contrast to this project was the exhibition entitled Five Years of Slovakia in the Photographic Document; this project, launched thanks to the grant from Vaculík Advertising, presented contemporary Slovak photography. Selected by the curator Tomáš Pospěch, the exhibition evidenced the transformation of Slovakia after 1989 and the high level of contemporary documentary photography in Slovakia. The photography from the era of the totalitarian Communist period were represented also by the Andrzej P. Florkowski exhibition, documenting the religious festivities in Poland in the 1960s and the 1970s, the Fero Tomík retrospective and the Miroslav Tichý exhibition. The 17th edition of the Bratislava Month of Photography included exhibitions of major international photographers Carl De Keyzer and Paolo Pellegrin. Birgus finds one of the best projects of the 17th edition of the Bratislava Month of Photography the representative exhibition of Latin American photography from 1991 to 2002, selected by Alejandro Castellote that was presented under the title Open Maps. Traditionally, many project were dedicated to Slovak and Czech photography. The festival was accompanied by a portfolio reviewing, a competition for young photographers, an auction of photographs etc. Despite that the 2007-budget was modest in comparison to the previous editions, the 17th Bratislava Month of Photography was a good project.

Ve stopách Odyssea, page 8

– Olga Wewerka: In Ulysses’ Footsteps (exhibition, Berlin, Neue Nationalgalerie, 7. 11. 2007 – 24. 2. 2008)

The Greek-Italian artist Jannis Kounellis (1936) is a major representative of arte povera. He installed his retrospective exhibition in a steel labyrinth filled with tons of coal. Wewerka points out that every piece of ordinary material – a small ball of wool, a log etc. – is symbolical in Kounellis’ works. Wewerka thinks that a certain pathos, comparable to the ancient mythology, is typical of Kounellis’ work.

Dynamit udělá bum... page 8

– Olga Wewerka: The Dynamite Goes Bang... (exhibition, Berlin, Hamburger Bahnhof, 30. 9. 2007 – 28. 1. 2008)

Actions of the Swiss artist Roman Signer (1938), examining the basic elements of fire, water and air, are documented in forms of photographs, films, drawings and relics from his actions. Characterized by the refined anarchy with the humorous undertone, Signer’s projects are distinguished in a poetic manner in visualizing an almost dreamy world. The Signer retrospective in Berlin includes photographs documenting the renewed explosion of the artificial volcano, a “replica” of Vesuvius built by Prince Leopold III in Wörlitz in the 18th century. Signer’s work is innovative and thought-provoking. Signer defines himself as a sculptor. He works with space, motion and time, particularly the transient character of things.

Imaginární muzeum, page 8

– Helena Kanyar Becker: The Imaginary Museum (exhibition, Basle, Fondation Beyeler, 19. 8. 2007 – 6. 1. 2008)

The 10th anniversary of the Fondation Beyeler (see At. No. 2/98) was celebrated by the exhibition entitled The Other Collection. Homage to Hildy and Ernst Beyeler. The set of items on display consisted of a selection from 16 000 paintings, drawings and sculptures which Hildy and Ernst Beyeler, who had been initiators of the major art fair Art Basel, bought and sold – some of them several times. The exhibition, curated by Oliver Wick, included lesser well-known masterpieces by Modern masters of the 19th and 20th centuries, presented within innovational constellations.

Dan Perjovschi, tentokrát ve Švestce, page 12

– Josef Ledvina: Dan Perjovschi, This Time at the Švestka Gallery (exhibition, Praha, Galerie Jiří Švestka / Jiří Švestka Gallery, 14. 12. 2007 – 9. 2. 2008)

The Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi (1961) is one of artists from post-Communist countries who came into prominence in the international scene after 1989. Perjovschi’s art is influenced by his profession of a journalist and a cartoonist who contributes by his socio-critical comments to the Romanian periodical 22. The Perjovschi exhibition in Prague, presented under the title Second Time (Is Better), has similar character as his previous projects held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern and other venues: The artist covers the walls and windows of particular exhibition spaces with drawings. Ledvina thinks that Perjovschi’s works are intelligible for the viewer who is familiar with current political and social events, so that he asks a question whether Perjovschi’s art will be understandable in the future.

Neexistuju, když mě nevidíš, page 12

– Bohdana Kerbachová: I Don’t Exist When You Don’t See Me (exhibition, Praha, Futura, 12. 12. 2007 – 10. 2. 2008)

The above project, one of a series of exhibitions dedicated to particular media, is focused on Conceptual photography. The curator Jiří Ptáček pointed out the incompleteness of photography – the element of absence and rejection in mediating the reality to the viewer. The curator invited fifteen artists and / or teams of artists renowned in the domestic and international scene – Hynek Alt & Aleksandra Vajd, Silvina Arismendi, Jiří David, Adam Holý, Markéta Othová, Matěj Smetana, Jan Šerých, Václav Stratil, Michal Pěchouček, Pavel Havrda, the group of artists Guma Guar and others. Alongside with this project, the mixed media installation by the Romanian Conceptual artist Alexandra Croitoru is presented at the Futura Gallery.

Why Do You Resist – Proč protestujete? page 16

– Vendula Fremlová: Why Do You Resist – Why Do You Protest? (exhibition, Ústí nad Labem, Galerie Emila Filly / Emil Filla Gallery, 20. 12. 2007 – 8. 2. 2008)

Curated by Michal Koleček (CZ) and Andrea Domesle (Austria), the international project Why Do You Resist?, subtitled Forms of Resistance in Contemporary Art and Society, is focused on the phenomenon of power and the resistance to it in works by contemporary European artists. Some of works have character of social projects and / or interventions, others echo individual strategies, aesthetic forms and stylistic approaches to actual social and / or political topics. The Berlin and Amsterdam based artist Lucas Lenglet (1972) contributed by an aluminium object, combining the traditional sculpture with a marked social content. The video installation Battle Field #9 / Washington Sniper by the Geneva based artist Jérôme Leub (1970) points out the ambiguity of anything mediated by the mass media. The three black and white photographs by the Prague based artist Jiří Kovanda (1953) document his performance which took place at the Prague Castle in 2007. Interventions to particular spaces are typical of the Polish action theatre Akademia Ruchu (established 1973); the video film Bus II / Wetlina is a record of the wreck of a bus with still passengers and a blind driver. The multimedia project by the Zagreb based artist Kristina Leko (1966) reflects her experience from a workshop in the industrial region of Halle, Germany. The Prague based artist Zbyněk Baladrán (1973) creates new films of old documentaries in contemplating the selectiveness of memory. Other forms of resistance are represented by works by the Ljubljana based artist Marina Gržinić (1958), the Ljubljana based artist Aina Šmid (1957), the Lisbon and Porto based artist Paulo Mendez (1966), the Vienna based artist Martin Krenn (1970) and the Vienna based artist Oliver Ressler (1970). The exhibition is intended for the insightful “European” viewer.

All Dressed-Up with Nowhere to Go, page 16

– Linda Mezrová: All Dressed-Up with Nowhere to Go (exhibition, Praha, Tranzitdisplay, 14. 12. 2007 – 4. 2. 2008)

Curated by the Zagreb based group of curators WHW (What, How & for Whom), the above exhibition presents works by five artists from post-totalitarian European countries, echoing their individual reflections on the changing circumstances of life. The video film by Roman Ondák (1966) contemplates about the “predicted” future. The mixed media installation Lost Memories from These Days by David Maljković (1973) evokes a tension resulting from the torpidity of the recorded event and the expected speed of cars in the motion. Danica Dakić (1962) filmed 16 emigrants from Bosnia dancing the traditional Deaf Dance; she took the dancers from the waist to the calf only, so that the spectator cannot see their faces and the setting. The impressive project Every Dog Has a Different Master by Kateřina Šedá (1977) was presented internationally, including the Documenta 12 in Kassel. Sanja Iveković (1949) contributed by a slide show; the four pictures of Zagreb evoke the 1970s-1980s photographs. A permanent exhibition of international art, entitled Monument to Transformation is held at the Tranzitdisplay Gallery. Mezrová recommends a visit to both exhibitions.

Translated by Magda Němcová