Kateřina Burgertová & Eliška Fialová

Both the form and technique of a painting situated in one of the passages in the city centre may refer to the abundant use of selected techniques in the artistic decoration of public space in the period of socialist realism and normalisation. This work, however, is not primarily an attempt to paraphrase or use the attractive effect of the retro. Both artists have long pursued painting, and both craftsmanship of the medium and its subsequent conscious use are among the main levels of their work. Therefore, their aim is, inter alia, to return these forgotten technologies to the public space in a new context. The title of the work refers to the name of the female protagonist of the American film Dances with Wolves (1990). Both artists grew up in the 1990s, at a time which, through cultural references, may seem trouble-free and full of hope. At least seen from the perspective of television which enriched us with a number of American films and series after school. Racism does not exist, or at least there is a common negative view of it, men and women are equal, we can travel, study and dream of a better future … But was it really like that? Seen from the perspective of the current social situation, we have reasons to doubt. The central motif of the painting is a painter working on a canvas that depicts a factory worker painting a clock face on a new clock. It is a portrait of the grandmother of one of the artists and, in the context of the painting, a symbol of tension and endless waiting until all the pains of the world are resolved. The situation also refers to the current questioning of the value of human labour, which also occurs on the art scene. The selection of the painter’s figure is a natural choice and confession of the artists, who look at the themes from their own (i.e. naturally limited) perspective. They themselves raise doubts: is painting really work? Who can it be beneficial for? The line between irony and deadly seriousness is thin. However, the moment of unsustainable balance may be the only possible answer. The inventory of the studio in which the scene is placed includes a toddler playing with dishes, an overturned bag with spilled potatoes, a portrait of Kevin Costner from The Bodyguard, a clenched fist embroidered in red thread, female hands washing a plate, etc. The composition is full of both cultural and personal references and symbols. Contemporary social topics in this mosaic are treated in a consciously comprehensible, perhaps dumbed down way. However, this is not a distrust of the audience. On the contrary, the artists realise the delicate position of their own actions in the context of rapidly changing trends and social upheavals. Faithful to their own nature, they sincerely seek connections within the chosen theme, blending the personal with the general. Indeed, what could be more naive than a clenched human fist threatening the cosmic order with revolution? Human beings and their endless toil under the weight of an inevitably approaching catastrophe, symbolised in this picture by the massively smoking smokestacks, mixing their smoke with the mad rhythm of van Gogh’s night sky. The artists do not intend to appeal to the public with this work, nor do they mock themes that resonate with the contemporary cultural scene. However, they comment on their position as artists-women-mothers at a time full of changes and demands that leave none of us calm. Eliška Fialová born 1988 in České Budějovice, lives and works in Prague Eliška Fialová graduated from Luděk Rathouský’s Painting Studio 2 at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Brno University of Technology (2007–2013). She mainly focuses on the medium of painting. In her work, she has repeatedly returned to insights into various historical epochs and their forms of artistic expression, putting them side by side with reflections of contemporary social phenomena. Borrowing both figurative and abstract elements, her pictorial language contemplates the role of different characters and images in our lives. Kateřina Burgertová born 1986 in Ostrava, lives and works in Prague Kateřina Burgertová graduated from Petr Kvíčala’s Painting Studio 3 at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Brno University of Technology (2006–2012). In her work, she has long focused on the application of figural motifs in drawing and painting. She works with the use of a distinctive symbolic language. Her present work is based on the synthesis of realistic and imaginative painting, exploration of inner procedures in painting and their application in reflecting both personal and social issues. The collaboration between Kateřina Burgertová and Eliška Fialová is based on their common themes, which are motherhood, women’s work, social solidarity, personal spirituality, painting and craft. Their communication includes long-term correspondence, which is also the basis of the political motives of their creation.