robert barta nanezdraví !
23.06 review 10.07 Drink! _ ice glass © laura gianetti
Opening day of every exhibition is a social event. People are coming not only to admire the artworks but also, if not mainly, to see friends, drinking beer and spend some time among so-called art society. t e x t b y We r o n i k a Tr o j a n´s k a
This time, Czech born artist, Robert Barta, in certain sense, facilitated this tasks. In the middle of one of the rooms in Grimmuseum built installation “Beergarden”. However, wooden cubic construction wasn’t a typical replica of English pub but peculiar reversed representation of this kind of places. Upside-down structure, living people outside the area of main events, seemed to disclaim prevailing images of typical beer bars, but indeed reveals the veritable essence of the secluding of human being in present-day world. Ice-made glasses, in which beer was served, contradicted the tradition of clinking beer-mugs during toast but at the same time referred to idea of braking ice with someone newly met. As most of the Robert Barta’s works, those exhibited on the show “Nanezdraví!” (23.06. – 10.07.2011), cannot exist without beholders. The observers become the original initiators of his installations, and as a result, not knowing when, become a part of them. As with the examples above or in piece “Keep your opinion” where the moving pedestal with guestbook on it, making the gallery visitor’s opinions “shakable”, both in literal and metaphorical sense of this word. In Barta’s works is something absurd. They are oriented perpendicular to common line of comprehension. Cactus spinning hula hoop, framed flies collected during the long