Page 37 - Studio International - June 1973

construction. The surface of the pictures is, for
Batik, a 'force field', and thus the artistic
metaphor of the universe and everything in it :
the picture is born of oscillating and uncertain
strokes which are organized into more ot less
geometrical structures and which have been
reduced, in the most recent pictures, to
generalized luminous and coloured signs.
Batik remains one of the most important artists
now living in Bohemia. Unfortunately, even
now the necessity of earning a living by other
means interferes with his work.
Three members of the group UB 12,
Alena Kucerová, Václav Batík, along with the
sculptor Stanislav Kolíbal, appeared together in
1968 in the last exhibition of the neo-
constructivist group Krizovatka (Crossroads).
(Left)
In the catalogue their theoretician proclaims Stanislav Kolibal
`a departure from organic nature' and Demarcation plan two
Mixed media, 213 x 120 X 211 cm.
`the discovery of a new nature, expressed by
modern man and his civilization.' But that was (Above)
misunderstanding — for man cannot escape Václav Bostik
A Field 1970
from 'civilization' to 'organic nature' nor from Oil, 723 x 123 cm.
`organic nature' to 'civilization', and this is
especially impossible for artists. Baffles
foundation and his certainty is an intuitive unlikely to have the opportunity. declaring that by doing so she was carrying out
`unity of reason and emotion, of the senses and There is more to Czechoslovakia than Prague. A Celebration of the Sun, Viliam Jakubík bought
the will', as he once said in an interview, and There is also Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, the and sent out tickets to the Bratislava Zoo, and
Alena Kucerová could say the same thing of easternmost part of the country. The difference organized A Firemen's Afternoon, a simple,
herself. On the other hand, Kolíbal's almost between the Czech regions and Slovakia may popular exhibition of Bratislava firemen during
unchanging subject is the tension between them. escape the distant observer. Czech and Slovak which he and his friends gave out prizes. I have
His sculptures are controlled by a pure are, it is true, two separate literary languages, already written about The Betrothal of Spring
geometrical order, but at the same time this but linguistically they are two neighbouring which Jana Zelibská held in the spring of 1972;
order is collapsing, disintegrating and dialects, and the material culture of the two it is a shame that sudden illness has prevented
disappearing, overcome by the forces of chaos. regions has no strikingly distinct features, even her from realizing her 'concert' Aequinoctium,
At first sight, Kolíbal might appear to be a though Slovakia is obviously more agrarian than which was to have been a counterpart to
classicist, although altered by a tragic sense of Bohemia and Moravia. But the history of the Betrothal and which she prepared with a
transience. But what gives his sculptures their two areas is different, and so is the mental musician, Jiri Laxman, for the fall equinox to
personal accent is the fact that this chaos is for atmosphere: art in Bratislava is not the same as celebrate the grape harvest. Here, of course, that
him not simply negative, but rather accepted as art in Prague. lifting of everyday activity into new spheres was
an essential dimension of existence, as part of One of the distinguishing features of a direct attempt to create new ceremonies and
the very order it destroys. It is even more Slovakia is a certain broadmindedness and celebrations.
probable that Kolíbal's work emanates from even an ostentation which is quite Alex Mlynárcik's latest work, Eva's Wedding,
this very feeling of transience, whipped by a incomprehensible to many Czechs. The work of represents an identical attempt. The artist,
frenetic need for a complete and final form. Alex Mlynárcik and his friends is a however, remained faithful to his conception of
In the catalogue for his last exhibition five particularly expressive example of this. the ready-made. In this case, the ready-made
years ago, Kolíbal wrote that he wished to I mentioned this group in my letter of June, was a real wedding. The bride and groom, a
`express being', that is, 'that special mixture of a 1971, when I gave a report of the Festival of hairdresser and an electrical technician
certain perfection and insufficiency.' The result Snow which they held in the High Tatra respectively, were both from the town of
is sculptures which remain in a kind of mountains during the world ski championships Zilina, and do not belong to artistic circles.
unbalanced state of balance, a fragile that year. Mlynárcik began activities of this Mlynárcik himself, along with his collaborators,
equilibrium. kind back in 1965, with a very clear idea of what presented this ready-made at his own expense.
One of Kolíbal's latest works is a white he wanted. They might be called ready-mades, It might be called a 'ready-made rectifié'
construction made of laths, forming the outer except that these ready-mades were not objects, (and in any case, all of Duchamp's ready-mades
limits of a big rectangular parallelepiped which, but rather everyday events which were to be are 'modified') : he transformed a wedding into a
however, is not complete, but interrupted in isolated, lifted into a new sphere and made grand celebration. After the marriage ceremony
several places. This time the viewer does not significant in a way which would provoke novel in the town hall, a helicopter flew over the
stand before the sculpture, but rather enters reactions to them. There is no space here to square and dropped leaflets congratulating the
into it, into a space which is very disturbing. It is describe the long list of events, in many cases bride. Then followed the wedding procession
a space in which certainty and uncertainty very complex and expensive, which through the town. In keeping with an old
intersect: for this space must admit an Mlynárcik carried out during those years. tradition, the wedding guests sat in painted and
irrational disturbance into its geometrical Recently, their number has been increased by gilded hay-wagons drawn by beribboned
regularity to exist at all, and this organic the actions of his young friends who have horses and during the long journey there was
disturbance must continually correct its carried the principle of the ready-made event ample opportunity to observe a number of old
rational order. Rather than limiting himself to through to some of its logical consequences. wedding customs which, in Slovak villages,
sculptures, Kolíbal should perhaps try When Jana Zelibská went away last summer to have survived since ancient times. There were
architecture next — but unfortunately he is the Bulgarian coast, she sent out announcements amateurs from local folklore societies present to
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