Layers (Priestory spomínania)
Layers (Priestory spomínania) is a project rooted in artistic research that investigates the Stalin monument. The resulting work is a photo book documenting the resurgence of the totalitarian era by engaging with archival materials related to the monument’s construction, unveiling, and eventual destruction. The project traces the life of its author, Otakar Švec, and highlights key moments in the history of the site, incorporating research from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The goal of the publication is to demonstrate that post-communist (or post-socialist/post-totalitarian) countries struggle to confront their own history. Elements of totalitarianism remain embedded in the fabric of everyday life, often visible in people’s behavior or in problematic sites.
Book of archive photographs, Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences,
Aleš Votava archive, National Archives in Prague, manipulated scans and photographs.
The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Prague, Czechia, 2024
Visuals were used in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague
INTERVENTIONS
Layers (Priestory spomínania)
Drawing on the ritual practices that took place at the Stalin monument, I created several unannounced performative situations. For these interventions, I selected symbolic objects from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, such as coal and stones. The interventions were documented by Ukrainian artist Kateryna Khramtsova, with the aim of revisiting the performances of the past, particularly the minimalist performances of the 1970s in Prague, and to personally experience the injustice of totalitarian regimes. Despite the silence surrounding them, totalitarian practices have been preserved and persist to this day.
Letná, site of the former Stalin Monument and the current Metronome, Prague, Czech Republic
Layers (Priestory traumy)
Layers (Priestory traumy) is a follow-up project to Layers (Priestory spomínania), taking the form of a 5-day durational performance rooted in my institutionally critical practice. During the performance, I critically engage with the publication Layers (Priestory spomínania), extracting fragments from the book, tearing, cutting, and creating an installation by layering the material from its pages. The exhibition spans two weeks and takes place at the Jewishcemetery in Telč, where I live without electricity or running water. The performance initially follows the five-day structure, though this was later extended. Through a process of destruction and subsequent reconstruction, I critique the work and examine my trauma. Beyond institutional critique, the installation also sheds light on the mechanisms of totality, which paradoxically affect artists who attempt to critically address totalitarian themes.
The constantly changing installation in progress.
Torn pages from the book Layers, red thread and needles, pins, a frame found in the basement of the cemetery, a spider web, tree trunks and branches found in the cemetery.
Galerie Síň, Jewish Cemetery, Telč, Czech Republic