Tag Archives: prague

the Sheepist, Street Art from Prague to Budapest

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The Sheepist in Budapest (bottom right)

To bring the arts journey back to Budapest, although in reverse order of how I came across them, I’ve noticed sheepheads pasted on the heavily tattooed walls of both cities. First I noticed the sheep with “je suis ceux que je suis” (I am who I am*) written across the eyes here in Budapest, in a corner next to an old synagogue.

Then I also saw him in Prague. The artist is French, and he certainly gets round his own country a fair amount: Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, etc., too.  I like how the heads pop out of the architecture rather discreetly. More of the artist’s work on his blog here, and an interview with him here.

More street art from Prague over on my photography/travel blog.

*Update: I have been told that “je suis” also means “I follow,” with all the implications that has about sheep following each other.

Near the Charles Bridge, Prague

 

 

With great fondness: the sculptures of Karel Nepraš

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as a Fountain 1

I was lucky to catch the retrospective of Karel Nepraš at DOX Center for Contemporary Art on one of its last days. Considered an overdue examination of an important figure in Czech sculpture, the curators place Nepraš as an artist whose work contributed to the resurgence of visual cultures in the 1960s and who influenced Czech sculpture today. His artwork existed alongside and responded to the political changes of the past decades, often responding with absurdity to the perceived inconsistencies and oddities of life. Machines that look like people could so easily be kitschy or sentimental, but Nepraš’s dark humor prevents that.

Rodina (Family), in a characteristic and vibrant shade of red.

It is precisely because his sculpture of machine parts, kitchen utensils, and other common objects are dark and disjointed creatures that I felt they inspired great affection. Clunkily, endearingly humane, his sculptures root in his early years as a cartoonist became clear in this exhibition.  The exhibition continues up, floor after floor, culminating in the more complex works like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as a Fountain 1 (at top of page).

Check out the fantastic virtual tour of the exhibition for the (almost) full experience!

 

Rusty Flowers at DOX Center for Contemporary Art

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Installation view on the roof of DOX tower

One of the things I regret about Prague is my own stupidity: I forgot to charge my camera! So it died, and I have no photos of my own to share of the lovely openwork iron sculptures by Čestmír Suška, a Prague-based artist,  that I saw on the roof of DOX Center for Contemporary Art. The show brings together Suška’s Rusty Flowers series before the pieces return to their homes throughout the Czech Republic and the U.S. I loved the textured, rusty metal surfaces, but also the interior spaces of the sculptures, which gives a sense of playful lightness. The cut out surfaces interact with the light and their surroundings, allowing you to glimpse the hollow structure and its setting, and creating beautiful shadows.