Category Archives: art

General arts and culture posts

David Černý’s Upside-down Horse, Prague

Posted on by

Statue of  Saint Václav, commonly known in English as King Wenceslas, of Christmas Carol fame, in front of the Czech National Museum, Prague

The traditional 19th c. heroic statue of King Wenceslas by Josef Václav Myslbek dominates the top end of Wenceslas Square, a notable boulevard in Prague. Astride his steed, young King Wenceslas is a revered figure of the Czech people.

Enter Czech sculptor David Černý.

Saint Wenceslas by David Černý

Černý is known for his provocative sculptures, and, this one, inside the Lucerna Palace gallery not far from the traditional statue, demands similar attention. Sometimes considered a parody of the 19th c. statue, what deeper critique about the contemporary Czech republic lies here? Černý doesn’t comment on his work–and I imagine rarely needs to, since it is far from subtle–but this piece is generally considered an attack on Czech President Václav Klaus. There is an implicit contrast between the sainted Vaclav, who is legendary for being a pious and good leader, and the current president, and of course, riding a dead horse, strung upside down, hardly puts him in an effective position.

At the risk of accusing Černý of reverence for anything, one might say he too falls into the hero-worship of the distant past. Or perhaps the infant terrible merely thought it would be shocking to desecrate an iconic image. Saint Wenceslas is an incredibly effective installation, capturing the eye and provoking questions if not outrage. On my itinerary for my next trip to Prague, hopefully soon, is this great walking tour of Černý’s sculptures in Prague.

Mi a magyar? at Kunsthalle, Budapest

Posted on by

Kunsthalle, Budapest

“What is Hungarian? Contemporary Answers” at the Kunsthalle brings together over 50 Hungarian artists in a large exhibition that covers a diverse group of perspectives on a rather contentious topic. As part of my initial orientation in Hungary a few weeks ago, the group was taken to Hero’s Square in Budapest, which is flanked by the Museum of Fine Arts on one side and the Kunsthalle on the other. I had already heard about the exhibition, but still I took the photo above marveling at the coincidence.  As it happens, this is the only recent exhibition to deal with national identity in Hungarian contemporary art and it coincidentally opened in time for my arrival here, to work on a project related to just that topic.

Coincidence, or timeliness?

Attila Now, 2012 by Gergo Kovach , Norbert Koterman  and Barna Peli

Friss (Fresh) 2012

Posted on by

Arpad Szigeti, “Hungray”

Friss 2012, up at Kogart Haz on Andrassy until October 12, is an annual show of recent graduates here in Budapest, and as the show is named “Fresh” you can imagine its idea is to introduce new artists to the scene. This year new graduates from Switzerland were also included. There were some really lovely works, and I thought very internationally engaged, which the curators selected and organized around the theme of empathy/manipulation. This theme came with a warning from the curators: that no one was innocent. I can’t speak to that, but here are some of the works I found interesting and accomplished.

Otto Szabo, Ethnographic Research

Otto Szabo’s installation of an embroidered veil and photographs illustrate how Muslim head coverings became a part of traditional Hungarian folk costumes. The floating head in front of old photographs was an affecting and interesting visual object, and the research behind it fascinating. This installation lies more on the empathetic side of the continuum the curators set up.

Anna Gyurkovics, image from the photo series Papa

As does Anna Gyurkovics’s photography series Papa, which has a great quality of light, intimacy, and immediacy. More of the artist’s work is up on Flikr.

Zsofia Toth, Keretek

Zsofia Toth’s Keretek, or Frames, are large paintings that take on some of the traditions around the presentation of art. This speaks more to the manipulation side of the continuum.

Balint Radoczy, Still from video What We Are

Balint Radoczy‘s video installation, What We Are, shows detritus in the confluence of a particular bend of the Tiber, floating and circulating in an endless loop. The beautiful colors of the trash belies their worthless, even dirty, state.

David Siepert, image from Censored Dresses

From the Swiss contingent, David Siepert took advertisements from magazines where flesh had been covered over. Then he hired people to remake the conservative dresses, turning Muslim attitudes toward showing flesh into real clothes that didn’t previously exist and showed them in a fashion show and with photographic evidence. His well-executed project, like Szabo’s in that it puts cultural norms in the spotlight, brings  an anthropological approach to culture together with both empathy and manipulation.