Jan Švankmajer
Opening: 24/01/2012, 6 pm
Exhibition: 25/01/2012 – 10/03/2012
PRESS RELEASE
Jan Švankmajer (*1934, Prague) is very well known outside of the Czech Republic for his surrealistic animation films and feature films. Movies like the film version of the book “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll made him internationally noted. And he is still working on new film productions, currently planning his seventh feature film. However his artistic practice includes also collages, assemblages and objects which are internationally exhibited only since a few years.
The Kerstin Engholm Gallery shows surrealistic objects, made of bones, metall, stones, feathers and extremities of dolls, also various graphic cycles, collages and in the backroom of the gallery a small cabinet of tactical objects by Jan Švankmajer. In the vitrines fantastic animal creatures can be found, made of crocodile heads, eggs, crab shells and bones which remind of a natural history museum.
Based on a scientific iconography, the graphic cycles of masturbation machines and natural historical as well as anatomical representations of phantasy creatures were produced in the 70’s and the 80’s of the past century. Jan Švankmajer lets the visitors dive in an absurd, surreal cosmos that makes people wonder and stimulates them to explore their own phantasies and dreamworlds. The two issues, violence and sex, can be found in a humorous way, in almost every artwork of him. Dolls and pieces of dolls – associated with something childish but also cruel – are appearing several times in his artworks. The same human strain can be also found on his tactical objects. Small figures of clay, mostly made of wood, less often sticked on photographs, were turned into small beings with bristles and feathers which can be touched by the visitors.
For further information please contact Kerstin Engholm by e-mail or telephone: +43 1 585 7337.