TUŠENÉ KRAJINY A DĚJINY /
ENVISIONED LANDSCAPES AND HISTORY

In the work of Linda Wrong and Alžběta Rajchlová we find many tantalizing motifs from fauna and flora. The world they deal with is past or mythical and exotic. Their work can be described as ecological, as they are particularly interested in the environment in which we live, but they do not portray it realistically. On the contrary, in their work we sense mystery, danger, artistic exaggeration and the knowledge that it is never possible to express everything. The fragility and mistiness of Elisabeth's paintings mix with the wildness and apparent theatricality of Linda's sculptures and objects. You can walk through a spruce forest of memories and through a jungle full of creatures and symbols.

MLADÝCH VLKŮ BĚHÁ V OKOLÍM TOMTO DOSTI / ALOT OF YOUNG WOLVES ARE RUNING AROUND

A joint exhibition in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm on the theme of the local fairy tale About the Soldier, the Blacksmith's Son recorded by the writer and priest Beneš Method Kulda (1820 - 1903). The line of the metaphorical story is based on the fate of the male protagonist - the blacksmith's son who, after a successful ten-year service, goes to his father - unfortunately too late, losing his inheritance, which in the meantime went to his sister. Coincidence confronts him with a difficult task, which he manages to accomplish with the help of magical powers. While the sister is assigned the role of an incorrigible cunning character in the story, the blacksmith's son fulfils the typical fate of the successful liberator of the king's daughter. The wolf, the bear and the lion - transformed in the final scene into the original true form of the knights - play an important role in the story, while the blacksmith's son is helped by his noodles to accomplish difficult tasks. It is the meanings associated with the symbolic role of each animal that the authors accentuate in a distinctive way. In the sculpture Lay Her Head on Her Lap (2022) Kateřina Komm highlights the moment of secret wounds, thanks to which the princess recognises the true groom. Nikola Emma Ryšavá uses the metaphor of "imprisoning" a man in animal form (Wolf man, 2022). Linda Wrong has already worked with the theme of the lion in her sculptures several times. In the fairy tale she was attracted by the scenes of the triple important magical role of this symbolic animal (Golden Chainzz, 2022). The chosen form reflects her visual experience from her 2018 trip to Indonesia. In the metaphorical story we perceive the basic characteristic scheme of the fairy tale, but at the same time a number of specific details give us a glimpse into the voluntary reflection on society, family and male and female roles.
Text by curator Iva Mladičová

HUSITKY NA BALTU

Today I read a story about a "Czech" trip to the "Polish" sea through the prism of the Facebook group Chceme moře místo Polska! (We want the sea instead of Poland), where plans for territorial expansion - mainly for tourism purposes - are combined with black scenarios of climate catastrophe. The vision of a beach beneath Sněžka and dreamed-of access to the sea is refreshing, especially in the context of dull neighborly stereotypes. The theme of the rising waters of the Baltic Sea also appeared during the NARRACJE 12 Gdańsk 2080 Futurological Congress festival, which I co-curated, featuring a sizable representation of Czech artists. Their art is also presented at this exhibition - coincidence? I don't think so!
The exhibition is an overview of ten attitudes from the Czech art scene. For many of them (but not all) the common denominator has become the motif of water; as fluid and difficult to grasp as possible. It recurs in individual works, becoming the background of the action, personifying the healing process or, on the contrary, being a source of hallucinogenic sensations. Its excess - rising sea and ocean levels - and scarcity at the same time, make it not so much a threat of futuristic catastrophes as a metaphor of transformation.

Poland's Czechophilia? Probably a Turkovian depression.
A state from sea to sea or preferably a state covered by the sea
Chceme more misto Poland (and the beach under the Sněžka)
Exoticism with a small e spelled,
inscribed in our Central European melting pot
A cumbersome wink from over a beer more eloquent than many a ratified agreement
Poles again in Prague
Hussites on the Baltic

artists: Adrian Altman, Veronika Čechmánková, Barbora Kleinhamplová, Eliška Konečná, Kateřina Konvalinová, Marie Lukáčová, Jan Matýsek, Michael Nosek, Kateřina Olivová, Lucia Sceranková, Linda Wrong

all pictures by Michalina Kuzyńska

NARRACJE 12.
GDAŃSK 2080 KONGRES FUTOROLOGICZNY

Snakes in different traditions and epochs are often attributed a strong and at the same time very symbolic designation. In Indian mythology, the snake (naga) is depicted as half-man, half-snake. Nagas wear a crown and lives in the underworld where they are the guardians of wealth. Snakes, as descendants of the earth, dwell in the waters of the underworld and are also closely associated with fertility. They are generally regarded as women and can have both a menacing and benevolent face depending on the circumstances. In Javanese mythology, floods are thought to be the result of the wrath of an offended earth guardian spirit. Snakes are to be worshipped because the naga is the sign of “water” in the sky and in this sense represents rain clouds, lightning, but is also a necessary source of water. Does Linda Wrong lead us to the side of the apocalypse, as the image may appear to lighten our current circumstances? What is our inner snake guarding? Is it our dreams, wishes or fear of admitting that the end of an era is coming and we are constantly destroying the world beneath our footsteps. The (Un)certainty of guarding what is coming before us. What point of view do we choose? How do we act so as not to further shatter what is already irreversibly begun?

ANTI-CONTEXT - A SITUATION IN WHICH THERE IS NO OR HAPPENED AND CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BY ANYTHING

ANTI-SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATION by three different authors - Linda Wrong, Julius Reichel and Adam Tureček. Via Art Gallery, Prague, Resslova 4, 2020

Hi!

We invite you to walk through the jungles of interactive green monsters, full of hidden smiles.

The three authors present a hitherto unpublishable view of the current interplanetary climate crisis. Recycling molds, styles and materials is beneficial and beneficial.
"... be that as it may, civilization will end and the only chance is to be a nomad of the Universe. But even that will end one day."
- Elon Mask, Microdosing Microsoft conferency, Albuquerque March 2019.

MAGIC GARDEN

18.5. - 1.6.2020 Jedna Dva Tři Gallery, Prague

The Magic Garden is, like every garden, a different mixture of plants, scents and species. Through an imaginary gateway we enter a world where old and new approaches coexist in harmony, and not only to contemporary sculpture.
A hidden garden as one of the last refuges of the mythical predators guarding a sacred place in the middle of a big city. The black outlines of exotic plants come together and claim our attention in the hope of touching us. A lost paradise where perfection and immortality reign. The prevailing atmosphere of Asian myths, legends, Japanese gardens, contemporary pop culture, but also the center of these "exotic" influences with the generally fast-changing over-technicized times, is a contrast to this peaceful garden. Through pop culture, new materials and playful installation, the artist comes up with a personal reformation of the given themes and at the same time with an alarming image of a future world where instead of plants only black shadows and predators lurking for prey are left.

ME, MY DOGS AND MY UNRULY SNEAKERS

Part of the exibition VaclavART in Jalta Boutique Hotel in Prague
2019

CHICKEN WHAT I MET

Exibition in Survive Garage in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2018

The Ayam series was created in Indonesia during Linda Wrong’s creative residency. Chicken (ayam) is ubiquitous in Indonesia and forms a significant part of the local diet. The different species and behaviours that the artist observed loosely reflect the ways in which she felt there, and how these feelings changed during her stay.

TUŠENÉ KRAJINY A DĚJINY / ENVISIONED LANDSCAPES AND HISTORY