Anna Ročnová / Gerbera won't break

While loosely following in the wake of the previous exhibition, the second part of this overview of the Fait Gallery collection represents, in a certain sense, its opposite. In contrast to the previous instalment, which primarily represented abstract art from the second half of the 20th century, with a focus on geometry and structure, Czech modernism and its resonance and evident influences in contemporary Czech painting, this exhibition directs its attention towards art that places greater emphasis on depicting the real world. Contradicting the artists working in the spirit of geometric abstraction, presenting more universal subject matter, these works are inspired by reality, depicting it more or less explicitly while bringing to the forefront an appreciation of the human figure and its depiction.

It is precisely this fascination with the human body and physicality, manifested either directly or metaphorically through fragments, tools, and situations inextricably intertwined with it, that forms the framework of the exhibition. As such, the exhibition features a number of works reflecting themes such as sport, while at the same time exploring a certain existential decadence as well as aspects of humour within the context of this fascination with the human condition.

Chronologically, we loosely move on to works created predominantly after the year 2000, which is also evidenced by the wider representation of the medium of installation, an example of which is the large-scale work Deep in Enemy Territory by the Rafani Group, one of the group's most extensive projects. The installation fulfils an integral part of the exhibition and, as was already mentioned, comments on a complex psychological situation through the relationship between visual art and the symbolism of sport.

The exhibition follows a predefined selective framework, yet it does not aspire to present an indisputable message regarding a specific issue or topic, a fact that is understandable given its nature. It does, however, seek to showcase the fruits of Fait Gallery and Igor Fait's extensive collecting activities over the past 15 years, to present a series of high-quality works by both Czech and foreign artists, to allow them to come into their own in their individuality and, at the same time, to present the sphere in which these individualities coexist and support each other within a compact whole.

Ondřej Kotrč

Represented artists:

Vasil Artamonov & Alexej Klyuykov, Alžběta Bačíková, Ondřej Basjuk, Nina Beier, Marie Blabolilová, Josef Bolf, Radek Brousil, Jan Brož, Michel Comte, Milena Dopitová, Markéta Filipová, Jiří Franta & David Böhm, Jan Gemrot, Martin Gerboc, Michal Gogora, Damien Hirst, Katarína Hládeková & Ondřej Homola, Katarína Hládeková & Jiří Kovanda, Jakub Hošek, František Hudeček, Matyáš Chochola, Krištof Kintera, Eva Kmentová, Vendula Knopová, Vladimír Kokolia, Jiří Kolář, Eva Koťátková, Ondřej Kotrč, Alena Kotzmannová, Denisa Krausová, Nika Kupyrova, Alicja Kwade, Martin Lukáč, Kamila Maliňáková, Pavla Malinová, Pavel Matyska, Marek Meduna, Jan Merta, Svätopluk Mikyta, Kamila Musilová, Jan Nálevka & Václav Stratil, Pavla Naďová, Petr Nikl, Michal Pěchouček, Ivan Pinkava, Jan Poupě, Skupina Rafani, Tomáš Roubal, Lucia Sceranková, Pavla Sceranková, František Skála, Matěj Smetana, Václav Stratil, Tomáš Svoboda, Robert Šalanda, Adriena Šimotová, Jiří Topínka, Lubomír Typlt, unconductive trash, Kateřina Vincourová, Lenka Vítková

The exhibition Selection from the Fait Gallery Collection II is a sales exhibition and is the last exhibition of Fait Gallery in its current space at Ve Vaňkovce 2.

Anna Ročnová / Gerbera won't break

22.05.2024 - 27.07.2024

Fait Gallery PREVIEW, Ve Vaňkovce 2, Brno

Curator: Lenka Vítková

Opening: 22nd May, 7 pm

LV: I am fascinated by the strange calmness that emanates from your work, the absence of any hint of moralizing. How has working in a flower shop changed your art practice?

AR: It's not a closed process. I was learning the floristry craft and was surprised by how many things I knew from my art work. My things are often infused with what I'm experiencing, for example, I was preparing the exhibition Mown Gooseberry in my late grandmother's house just before it was renovated, the garden was also undergoing a change, so I turned the trees and shrubs that my grandmother liked into objects. It's the same with floristry, I apply florist methods, materials to art and see how it manifests.

LV: In your studio I was really impressed by your respect for everything you handle, including the crude oil that the florist mats are made of, or the dark liquids that prevent decay in floristry. How do you work? Can you describe the process, and what is its goal?

AR: I usually start by surrounding myself with materials. I bring various kinds of wood, leaves, fruits, now I also visit florist shops, skewers, wire, dry materials, etc into the studio, I also work with more traditional sculptural materials, plaster, clay, and I like to use fabric.

I fold, glue and group, fill, cut, melt, dye, sew, burn. I may use an object I made years ago and revive it in a new constellation. The subsequent installation is just as important as the creation of each object. In the installation I create what we often see in nature. I think atmospherically it's the details of the landscape, the forest, and I'm also interested in interfaces, places on the outskirts of the city where wilderness stretches into the city, the edges of pavements, bits of concrete lost amng grass and overgrown bushes in which a colour microtene bag is caught.

I refer to the process of my work as "extended nature". And that is the goal of my work. The result is a whole that looks natural, as if it came into existence and grew by itself, just like it happens in nature. When I exhibit outdoors, the viewer doesn't have to be sure whether they are looking at a work of art or a work of nature.

What I also enjoy about working with naturalia is their emotionality, the process of birth and decline, growth and decay, rotting, drying. All these processes on the surface co-create the emotionality that my objects subsequently exude. Emotion is an important clue for me. And I think it is ultimately emotions that determine what the objects will look like.

LV: You also mentioned the need to set a kind of tension that your objects really hold for me - they make me wonder, they're not easily interpreted. Would you like to say more about that?

AR: I think the tension you're talking about is between the parts that make up my objects. Sometimes I modify them by reinforcing the emotion I want the object to emit, for example, by employing used engine oil, permanganate, or burning. My objects are characterized by fragility, I am interested in destruction which I perceive, like it is in nature, as part of a cycle, not as something catastrophic. But I'm also interested in other situations, like water running down a rock, the depth of observation from larger wholes to the tiniest detail.

LV: Acknowledging the possibility of destruction - for me it is also the acceptance of life and its cycles. But the usual requirement placed on a work of art is that it should be as durable as possible. How much do you think about this, is it a challenge for you?

AR: Actually, I have never asked myself this question during my work. Many objects are very resistant. I tested this when I exhibited outdoors. Some of the objects are still in place today and are gradually growing into their surroundings. Others have not changed their appearance at all after six months of exposure to the elements, and continue to permeate my other installations.

Fragile objects can be adjusted in glass boxes, following the example of natural exhibits. However, when installing and creating objects, I have little interest in the issue of durability and do not emphasize it in my choice of materials.

LV: What obstacles do you have to overcome in your work? Or do the flow and joy prevail?

AR: I really enjoy exploring the possibilities of new connections, the strange energy that is present during the process. Sometimes I can't communicate with the material. Then it helps to take it apart and put it back together again, to be able to touch it and connect with it in some way. I become a part of it and that makes it whole.

Interview with Anna Ročňová (AR) on the exhibition Gerbera Won't Break was led by Lenka Vítková (LV).

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