CITÉ RADIEUSE: UTOPIA

The work explores in larger detail the connections between beehive symbolism and utopia based society- the socialist society of former Czechoslovakia. Representatives of almost all structured societies along the history likened its structure to the organization of a bee colony. However- although honeybees are important and crucial link in nature, their life in colony is often cruel- from human perspective. Where every member serves a larger purpose, sacrifying everything for the survival of whole. Juxtaposing archive photos and documentation of bee life- we can observe the characteristic of collectivist society- building euphoria, harvesting of goods, protection against intruders and omnipresent labor..
 

WE ARE ALL CARBON

Most of our life depends on matter- resurces, minerals, water and air. The energy, our civilization is based on also comes from the sources, stored under the soil. The exhibition, first shown in 35m2 gallery (Prague), is an excursion to some of those basic natural elements: coal, water, rare metals- and shows how to provide the energy and materials for faster spinning wheel we leave a scar on locations where these resources come from. The exhibition is also a result of activist approach, sometimes in cooperation with climate activists and initiatives.

 

THE FLAG OF THE BLUE PLANET

When the astronauts are looking at the Earth from the space, they see a blue sphere, covered with a layer of clouds, and between them the shapes of the continents. But what they do not see are the borders of states as we know them from political maps. Today, when we face a climate crisis, a symbol of planetary unity (a flag) might be meaningfult to shift our thinking. In 1969, John McConnell designed the Earth Flag to celebrate the Earth Day. Since then, many others have tried to design a universal flag for the blue planet. However, neither of those was universally accepted. The Flag of the Blue Planet (created for Pohoda Festival, now at Nová Cvernovka in Bratislava) is based on McConnell's proposal. But at a place where the Earth image should be, there is a round hole. The sky, visible through the hole visually reminds of the Earth seen from space.

 

INVISIBLE MUSEUM

A project created for the exhibition Nadikhuno Muzeumos/Invisible Museum, Tranzit.sk. At the start of the project there was the idea to create a museum that would represent Roma to others, a museum that would help strengthening self-confidence of Roma community, and a museum that would also enrich Slovak culture with works of a minority that has belonged to our country for centuries. For the exhibition in Tranzit.sk a model of imaginary house was created, together with a set of wall designs with images, texts, notes, photos and data. Inside of the house was a cinema-like videoprojection with interviews and documentary movies from Roma community. The pattern for the house structure was created by young Roma from community centre in Rankovce (Združenie Pre lepší život).

TREES OF VIENNA

The trees are quiet observers of our life. They provide oxygen, fruits, shade in a hot day. Whether we are from Europe or Middle East, from a peaceful region or a war or poverty stroken place, there are certain moments from our life and especially childhood, which we all share. From this perspective, a migrating person is just someone searching for the same calmness and security he or she once had, in the midst of global events. Like a tree, cut out of some of it's roots and replanted in another place. It is a difficult process. Not every tree can adapt easily to new conditions. The project Trees of Vienna is based on interviews with people who had to move and those who helped them in their new home. Some of them did both. The result of this research and dialogues are paintings, texts and photos on a textiles that were shown in Café Prosa, a space dedicated to language and technical courses for refugees in Vienna. The work also includes results of a workshop with refugees from Hotel Favorita, an abandoned hotel that served as a refugee house after 2015- 2016 refugee wave in Vienna.

ISABEL'S HOUSE

Isabel lives with her family on the slope of Monte Graciosa, few minutes of walk from the village Tras di Munti on Santiago Island (Cabo Verde). Surrounding area is mostly arid, with no well, but an incredible view over the valley down towards the sea on the horizon. Isabel lives with her daughter Mariazinha and two adopted granddaughters Marcia and Luciana. Their life is based on agriculture, raising cows, ceramics and traditional medicine. I spent one month painting their portraits on the walls of their house and documenting their daily life through video. In 2017, the result, consisting of model of Isabel's house with reproduction of the paintings, video and other works was presented in gallery Off/format in Brno, Czech Republic.

RADIO BUNKER

Building a "bunker" out of blankets, rugs, chairs and furniture is one of the favorite games of Jerguš (my stepson). A bunker is a safe space - a place for hiding from the outside world - from the unknown realities of the adult life, from dull, but from the dangerous too. This bunker was created with help and advice of Jerguš. Inside, a sound track in loop is played - an experimental mixture of music, sounds, news reports, radio waves noise, excerpts from child movies and games. Ecological drama, such as hurricane news report interferes with child games and sounds - what will await a 7 year old in a future? A work created for No Go no Reply, exhibition in Kunsthalle Košice, Slovakia, 2017.

ARCHIPELAGO (Kunsthalle Bratislava)

The exhibition shows a result of two years research, workshops and community artworks in Cova da Moura neighborhood in Lisbon and Tras di Munti village in Cabo Verde. These geographically distant locations are connected through same culture, through movement of people, through stories. Cova da Moura is one of the most known Capeverdian immigrant neighborhoods in Portugal.
Through large scale objects with participation of local community, traditional techniques such as ceramics, documentary movies ad photos, the exhibition is trying to portray this complex relation between locations, the hardship of people living in both of the places, but also the beauty of the place and it's people.

 

PRAGUE ONE DAY AFTER BOMBING

The wall of Letenské sady featured images of famous Prague towers: Old Town Tower, Žižkov Television Tower, Powder Tower, Šítkov Water Tower and Towers of the Týn Church. Dominant features of Prague, which is also referred to as "The City Of a Hundred Spires", are easily recognized by locals as well as visitors. However, the black and white images leave a disturbing impression. Instead of appealing tourist motifs, these are scenes from a war-destroyed city. Oto Hudec's exhibition entitled "Prague Day After the Bombing" highlights the mass export of arms from the Czech Republic into unstable and undemocratic regimes. The exhibition was organized by ARTWALL in cooperation with Amnesty International Czech Republic, which has been drawing attention to the problem of uncontrolled arms exports.

CITÉ RADIEUSE

As a cooperation between Greenpeace Slovakia, cultural event Medzicentrum and Stanica, Žilina several works related with life of bees were created. Cité Radieuse is a fully working reconstructed beehive that resembles one of the bloc of flats situated close to Stanica Zárečie cultural nod in Žilina.
The society of bees was often compared to life of humans and used as a symbol for a perfect, utopian society, where the individual serves a greater purpose of the whole - a state, a nation. Many architects used beehives as a reference - some influenced by organic shape of natural beehives, other by those, created by man.
One of the first apartment buildings was a concept by Le Corbusier, originally called Honeycomb apartments.  Some years later, this idea inspired growing building construction for a "new man" in Eastern bloc socialist countries. Some of the propaganda posters even featured bees as a symbol for construction of a new future.

THE COUNTRY

Facing the refugee crisis of 2015 and 2016 in Europe, Slovak government, instead of solidarity declared the wish to protect the borders of EU, refusing to accept more than 150 christian refugees from Syria. This decision echoed the fears of many citizens - from the unknown, from a chaotic and unstable world that they wish to hide from their daily life. The work "The Country" tries to put a visitor in a gallery in a position of a migrant entering the EU - waiting in front of the fence and not knowing if they will be allowed to enter. There is a set of rules, different for each day that a gallery worker uses to select, who can and who cannot pass behind. Those, who are lucky can enter throgh the door of this wooden fence and see, what is hidden behind it...

AGÚ DI TCHUBA Lda

In Cabo Verde rain and water are the phenomenon that shapes the country and minds of rural people every year. There is just a month of rainy season during a year and it doesn't happen every year. After the appearance of global warming, rains are more rare and unpredictable. If it rains, the whole country changes: Acacia trees become greener and the red soil is covered by wild plants, corn, beans, pumpking and vegetables. Rural people store large portion of the crop, because they never know, if next year there will be rain.
AGÚ DI TCHUBA Lda is a project of utopic enterprise that transports rainwater from Europe, where large part o Caboverdian population lives to Cabo Verde islands. As an act of help by european immigrants a container boat holding traditional ceramic pots is sent on journey from Lisbon. The exhibition is documenting whole journey of rainwater caught in Europe up to the moment when it is splashed out from he high mountains of Santiago island by women from Trás di Munti region.

NEW ANTHEM

On september the 16th 12 leaders of European superstate meet to decide the shape of a new anthem. The lyrics of this anthem should be compiled from sentences and words with a fair contribution of each state. It should connect all the countries in their differencies and the accord about the lyrics should happen through consensus.

MAN WHO TRAVELS WITH BEES

At the beginning, there was a story. This story talks about a beekeeper from Dúbravica village in central Slovakia who has built a bee house in a form of a spaceship to fly with his bees to the Mirror Land. A planet, similar to ours, hidden behind the Sun, unspoiled. Although hard to believe, this spaceship DBSP 01 (Dúbravica Beekeeper's Space Program) exists - open to visitors in the center of the village. And a man in a spacesuit with a portable beehive on his back was also spotted there. Mirror Land gives a frame to larger series of works documenting the story. Maybe a last ode to escapism but the escapism with a purpose. Or an ode to the work of beekeepers, those who share a bond with their bees - although "stealing" their honey, they protect and care for the families. To understand bees, their behavior, one needs to be calm, patient and open minded. Beekeeping has been here for centuries, yet the character of the work hasn't changed so much - using simple, natural tools and materials. There is a hidden poetry in this work and here is an attempt to reconstruct it. Today, bees, one of the key element of our ecosystem are also one of the most vulnerable. The changes in agriculture, global warming and spread of illnesses threaten their existence. And ours - they are the best pollinators nature has. So it is not by an accident that from all what he could save, The Man who travels with Bees picks up these little animals. Exhibition in Gandy gallery, Bratislava 2016.

THE ARCHIPELAGO

Discovering two sides of Schengen EU border, The Archipelago project is a result of research on communities in Capeverde islands and Cova da Moura, a neighbourhood of predominantly capeverdian immigrants in Lisbon. Built on a hill in Amadora, periphery town of Lisbon suburban area, a net of colourful two floor houses that spreads irregularly reminds of a crowdy island in the middle of a city. It is not even a symbolism to say that Cova da Moura, as well as other immigrants neighbourhoods around the world is one more of Capeverdian islands. Although the younger generation have created its own, specific culture based on hip hop and rap, the community in Lisbon remains in a lively cultural and economic contact with their families in Capeverdes. The Archipelago project is an attempt to portrait this connection through photos, traditional crafts, murals, videos and sculptures, often with participation of both communities - the young generation, but also craftswomen and craftsmen - as for example 9 women ceramists from Trás di Munti, a village of Santiago island.

NOR TORTOISE NOR BLADES OF GRASS

In an old Taoist story, a dismissed emperor's servant comes to an old prophet to ask about the right way of living: is it to live honestly, speak truth, face the authorities and live in poverty, or is it to be submissive and cunning, to gain success? The prophet puts aside his tools: There are questions that nor tortoise shell, nor blade of grass can answer.
The work, created during my stay in Seoul is based on such unanswered questions, missing statements, unfinished thoughts.
All of this work is a response to Korean experience, sometimes playful, sometimes poetic, sometimes critical. A result of many walks and bicycle rides through the city, trying to portray it, trying to slowly understand it.
5 months stay in Seoul is enough to overcome expectations and preconceived ideas and starting to see deeper causes behind the facade of the city. But not enough to fully understand.

A TRAVEL TO THE PALA ISLAND

The action that consisted of a guided travel in search of a mythical island Pala, was a result of an invite by Kunsthalle Bratislava to give a new, artistic life to a common bus stop.  Based on a book The Island by Aldous Huxley, the action was an attempt to find the utopic island of happiness and harmony in Bratislava city, in the middle of it's urban lifestyle and historic scars. The travel to the Pala Island is my own reconstruction of Huxley's symbolics: instead of building a better society in remote area, we should look for it in the place, we live in. The action started with announcement of a guided tour on a light-box of the bus stop and ended with a construction of Pala station that participants of the tour found on the same place they departed from.

DBSP 01

Space capsule discovered in Central Slovakia

BB- An object reminiscent of a space capsule was found on the hill in the periphery of Dubravica village. Two beehives with bee colonies were found inside. The space capsule was discovered by Ján Zepka, a local fireman, who declared that the object was built by his friend, a local beekeeper, who went missing this summer. The villagers were surprised to find the bees in the capsule completely unaffected by a recent virus that had spread across the country, leaving all the colonies severely decimated. Sample bees from these two colonies are currently being studied in a laboratory, as some believe they developed a special antibody towards the virus.

Mr. Zepka spoke about the beekeeper's theory of “Mirror Land.” It is an unconventional belief that a planet similar to Earth is sharing the same orbit with our planet, but it's view is always covered by the Sun. Some villagers were speculating that the missing beekeeper had really traveled into space, to prove his theory, or to save his bees from the virus.

INSTRUMENT FOR LISTENING

Instrument for Listening | 240 x 240 x 350 cm | wood,
plywood, acrylic paint, sound system | Dallas, USA | 2013

Historically, the megaphone has been a tool for people to express their opinions, their wishes and their needs. Instrument for Listening is inspired by this function, but focuses on people who are on both sides of this tool – the ones listening, as well as the ones who are speaking. The project consists of three main phases: building a sculptural form, which serves as tabula rasa, a space for expression; working with teenagers from the Dallas neighborhood of Oak Cliff to create a pattern that reflects their life and the life of Hispanic community in their neighborhood; and interviewing community members, including dancers, artists, journalists, mothers, teachers, musicians, and business owners, to capture stories, opinions and dreams in the most objective, documentary way. The fourth, symbolic phase of the project is directed towards the listener who can hear the stories through incorporated audio system.
Instrument for Listening is a part of Make Art with Purpose - MAP 2013, in Dallas, USA.

NOMADIA AT MUTUO CENTRO DE ARTE

Nomadia, Mutuo Centro de Arte, 16 x 4 m acrylic on wall, 2013

As a continuation of the idea of Travelling Museum of Nomadia, a temporary mural was painted in Mutuo, art center in Barcelona. Tents of various nomadic cultures next to refugee tents and protest camps shelters are levitating in between skyscrappers of imaginary city. As the orders of eviction, shrinking pastures and harsh social and political conditions have pushed the habitants of these tents to the periphery - in my artist imagination I gave them the vast space of all of us, the air above us. The mural of 16 x 4 m was complemented by informative panel with history of each tent and NOMADIA flag.
In addition to this project, Nomadia took part in non - traditional exhibition at Venice Lido beach in 2013. The exhibition organized by HudRada was a tribute to all kinds of temporary shelters, being related to Nomads, homeless, or Roma people.
link to the project: http://unionofhovels.tumblr.com/curatorial%20text%20english

SLOV MOTORS

Slov Motors  | traditional vowen carpets, 140 x 250 x 100 cm;
HD video, 6´29” | 2013

The work created in collaboration with Otília Kadašiová.
Slovakia passed through contradictory social and economical changes since early nighties. Slovena, the traditional carpet and textile producer, established in Žilina in 1891 did not survive the start of global capitalism and entry of the asian textile into the Slovak market. Few years later Korean automobile company Kia Motors become an economic stimulus of the region. Slovakia is one of dominant European nations in production of automobiles per capita even though none of the car companies has a Slovak owner. Parallel to these economic changes, in the villages surrounding the car company the traditional Slovak art and craft survives and revives. The work replaces the production of closed Slovena factory by fictious model of new Slovak vehicle – a flying carpet under the brand Slov motors. The model was created in cooperation with a veawer Otilia Kadasiova from Strecno village next to Žilina. It was mostly created from
the rests of textile tissue, that Ms. Kadašiová got from the storage in Slovena factory.

CLUSTER BOMBS FOR SALE

cluster bomb/popcorn stand during the campaign of
Amnesty in front of presidential palace in Bratislava 

Slovakia is one of four countries of Europe that did not sign an international treaty about banning cluster munition. Although cluster bombs are generally considered non-humane, causing uncontrolled harm to humans and often used in densely populated areas, many countries keep using them, producing, storing and selling them around a world. For 2013 campaign of amnesty international I designed a stand inspired by those at military, gun shows. The banners said "cluster bombs for sale", instead of bombs the volunteers from Amnesty offered flyers and popcorn. The cracking of popcorn was often used to describe the sound of cluster bombs by their victims and is also a slang term used for cluster munition by US soldiers (USA is one of the countries with highest use and production of these bombs).Unfortunately for the premiere of the stand at presidential palace the selling of popcorn wasn't allowed for legal reasons. The part of the campaign was an animated video showing an attack of popcorn on center of Bratislava. The campaign of Amnesty in Slovakia was finally succesfull and the prime minister signed the treaty prohibiting a cluster munition.
https://vimeo.com/67380224

NOMADIA TRAVELLING MUSEUM

Nomadia is an imaginary country, without traced borders, without land ownership. As it extends over nationalities, it extends over time – the past, present and the future are all interconnected.

Nomadia is a country of travelers in tents. Its history is unwritten, and floats only from the mouth to ear of storytellers.

I was inspired by present events of occupy movement in USA, Indignados in Spain, Acampamentos in Portugal, where tents and camping became a form of pacific but powerful protest. Tents have been used in different cultures, as North American indigenous people, Mongolian shepherds and Sahara tribes. All these nations and tribes were living just with basics, to own luxurious and heavy things just wasn´t useful for someone, who is always ready for a journey. To live in the tent is almost to live as one with nature and therefore people of Nomadia don´t consider Nature a property of man, but a man being part of the Nature. I consider this way of thinking and living very meaningful in today´s situation.

IF I HAD A RIVER

My work is an experimental model of utopic sustainable unit for one man / family. The boat with small garden is independent on location, independent on state politics, world economy, fossil fuels and global corporations. It is an idealised solution for economic and ecological crisis. But my ideal for such a life is not an isolation of man, but to the contrary - cooperation and help to each other. That is why a tent for guests is a part of this boat. Every visitor of  the exhibition is symbollicaly invited inside. He has right to take with him a fruit, herb, or seds and dried fruits from the storage part of the boat. But the boat needs also participation and help - to take care and energy to the plants - to water them, cutting dried leaves, to compost...
Even if it is unreal for a mankind to move from soil into similar boats, the first step to change is a different, more sensible approach to nature and to each
other.

CORN SONG

Exhibition at Galéria mladých (Gallery of youth), Nitrianska Gallery, Nitra, Slovakia
According to Native Americans tradition I performed improvised music for the field of corn in Corn Belt area of USA. Native Americans believed that the corn will grow better, if they will sing songs to the field. In my case I played for genetically modified corn for industrial production. I collected some of this corn to prepare bread, that works as headphones to listen the original music. The work is questioning the process of creation of our food, which has turned many times dehumanized, denaturalized, and we are actually creating an artificial nature.

THE WHALE WORLD & SLEEPERS

How would you visually imagine earth as one living organism? As something strong and fragile at the same time, something responding, reacting to our actions? I was looking for an image to illustrate this idea. That led me to the vision of the city on the back of the whale: while the city is over the sea level, the whale swims under it. It is a question of will and question of time, if the whale will hold the city, or just dive into deep waters.

The exhibition Sleepers shows scenes from different places in the world, where mostly young people suffer consequences of global market. Sleep is a form of non violent resistance; or in other case just a response of the body to the unbearable working pressure.

The Whale World mural and the exhibition "Sleepers" was conceived for Nástupišťe 1-12, alternative cultural space in Topoľčany, Slovakia.