MAGDALENA JETELOVÁ
Projects from 1982–2013 / Olomouc Museum of Art
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Tichá Šárka – Red World A videodocument of the events Marking with Red Smoke, Šárka, 1983–85; Stalin (at the Festival of Contemporary Art TINA B. in Prague), Prague, 2007; aPEL, Olomouc, 2013 Drawings with signalling smoke on canvas, 2005–2013 property of the artist The red signalling smoke wraps the immediate surroundings as well as its source in a dense cloud of smoke. Hazy contours in the distance form an impressive, vanishing image. Beside the mass of the place, the smoke visualizes its historical memory and its transitoriness. The red colour is a reminder of the fact that in this way the increasing series of socialist countries was shown in political maps. The cycle of large-size paintings reveals the artist’s principle of work with signalling smoke as a new visual form. The inability of capturing its shapes is supplemented with remnants of soot and with quotations inscribed with pigments. By the reminder of the underestimated danger of the past times the document calls your attention to its importance in the contemporary context.
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Crime Scenes spatial installation, Olomouc, 2013 property of the artist The blow-outs of documents of StB, the secret police, demonstrate both the crimes of the Communist regime and the sophisticated manipulation and systematic dissemination of disinformation. The by now already absurd-looking information about the obligatory picking of the Colorado beetle and the subsequent punishment of individuals ignoring the campaign leave a bitter taste of machinery infiltrating the lives of the
people. A direct encounter with the recent past, hiding under the sign “strictly secret”, tells much about the personal commitment of the artist and invites a confrontation with the atmosphere of the era in which before her emigration she lived with the rest of the population of Czechoslovakia. To this day she has never remained indifferent to the issue of human rights.
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Translocation spatial installation, Olomouc, 2013 property of the artist The built-in construction with a horizontal as well as vertical shift crosses the entrance space of the exhibition hall, which duplicates everything. Under the seeming unification with the surroundings is hidden an intensive tension between architecture and space. The conflict reflects the dynamic labyrinth of passages, paths and mysterious corners in an originally open space, which is intensified by walls and pillars inclining along the vertical axis. The seemingly “falling” architecture makes its existing form relative and introduces a different experience of time and space. In connection with the acoustic element it impressively links the past with the present and invites questions about the precise definition of time, space and man’s place in the world.
4 “Forget 4 “Forget it” it”
enamel, enamel, Ostrava-Vítkovice, Ostrava-Vítkovice, 20132013 property property of the of artist the artist Movement, Movement, speed speed and and human human action action as an asimprint an imprint of the of the cooperation cooperation with with technology. technology. The The new new viewview of matter of matter and and its its rearrangement rearrangement offersoffers a way a out wayfrom out from the vicious the vicious circle. circle. The symThe sym bolical bolical meaning meaning of the ofevent the event doesdoes not merely not merely give give a particular a particula message message but generally but generally points points to a to possible a possible escape escape fromfrom an an otherwise otherwise precisely precisely defined defined situation, situation, sometimes sometimes intentionally intentionally suppressing suppressing the opportunity the opportunity for one’s for one’s own,own, present present or future, or future contribution. contribution.
5 (DES)ORIENTATION? 5 (DES)ORIENTATION?
spatial spatial installation, installation, Olomouc, Olomouc, 20132013 property property of the of artist the artist The The installation installation of large-size of large-size mirror mirror wallswalls and and theirtheir motion motion disturbs disturbs the common the common perception perception of space. of space. The The dynamic dynamic cha-cha racter racter of the of foils the foils dissolves dissolves the contours the contours of reality of reality and and turnsturns themthem into into an irreal an irreal picture, picture, which which prevents prevents manman fromfrom reliably reliably identifying identifying the surroundings the surroundings and oneself. and oneself. Paradoxically Paradoxically only only the the quotation quotation and and the phrases the phrases on the on mirrors the mirrors remain remain motionless motionless and and legible, legible, in spite in spite of the ofmovement the movement of the ofsurrounding the surrounding area.area The The feeling feeling of losing of losing one’sone’s own own being being and and its fixed its fixed placeplace in in space space invites invites questions questions about about our historical our historical development, development, the the future future heading heading towards towards a better a better perception perception and understanding and understanding one’sone’s own own position. position.
6 Iceland 6 Iceland Project Project
silverbaryt silverbaryt print,print, Iceland, Iceland, 19921992 property property of the of artist the artist The The line of line light of light crossing crossing the surface the surface of the of bleak the bleak countryside countryside of Iceland of Iceland visualizes visualizes something something hidden hidden in the in depth the depth of the of the ocean. ocean. The Central The Central Atlantic Atlantic mountain mountain range range stretching stretching for some for some 15 00 15 kilometres 00 kilometres on the on sea the floor sea floor is theis geological the geological boundary boundary between between America America and and Europe. Europe. On the On border the border of the of plates the plates in the in ocean the ocean crustcrust linedlined with with faultsfaults and and plateaus plateaus unceasing unceasing changes changes taketake place, place, through through which which the present the present location location of o continents continents originated. originated. The The long long seam seam may may be seen be seen with with naked naked eye in eye Iceland in Iceland only.only. The The extreme extreme casecase of itsofemergence its emergence to the to the surface surface of the of Earth the Earth is made is made visible visible by aby laser a laser beam, beam, which which thusthus proves proves the unsurmountable the unsurmountable and and always always free free formform of the of the borders borders of our of world. our world.
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Atlantic Wall silverbaryt print, Denmark, 1994–95, property of the artist The ferro-concrete forts lining the sea coast from Norway to Spain are unique historical evidence. The defensive belt of structures built against the invasion of the Allies, with bunkers, their openings for guns, and observation points stops in time the war strategy of the Third Reich. Nature altered the former monstrous structure and made it hard to recognize. Against the background of concrete monoliths, the thoughts of the French philosopher Paul Virilis about military space, violence and typology of fortresses get interlinked with the mythic character of the present-day ruins, symbolically “departing” into the sea.
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Crossing King’s Cross silverbaryt print, London, 1996, property of the artist The space of King´s Cross in central London is confronted with the planned modern high-speed railway lines which in the future will link people in time and space. The parallel laser lines radically cross a quiet night landscape of an apparent periphery of a big city. The transitional stagnation of derelict industrial buildings and storehouses is filled with the energy of motion and speed in the same area in the future, when it will become again a direct connection with the world.
Underground City
9 9Underground model, plaster, Prague, City 1982; model, palight, Bergheim, 2013
model, silkscreen, plaster,enamel, Prague,Ostrava-Vítkovice, 1982; model, palight, 2013;Bergheim, property of2013 the artist silkscreen, An underground enamel, Ostrava-Vítkovice, garden centre in2013; South property Town,of anthe unrealized artist An underground project situated garden in the centre gap in which South arose Town, byan the unrealized construction project of the situated metro in onthe the gap outskirts whichofarose Prague, by is theshown construction in a plaster of the model metro dating on the from outskirts 1982. For of Prague, years it was is shown kept hidden in a plaster from the model eyes dating of the from people 1982.as For well years as the it was artist. keptThe hidden close from neighbour the of people the blocks of the estate itsneighbouroblong shape eyeshood of the as well ashousing the artist. The and close (more oneofkilometre longestate and one meters wide) hood of thethan blocks the housing andhundred its oblong shape (more than one oneofhundred meters wide) inspired the kilometre artist for a long bold and project underground architecture inspired where thethe artist landscape for a boldbecomes project ofits underground facade. Thearchitecture, undulating belt where of the greenery landscape with becomes hills, cascades, its facade. glass Thewalls undulating and skylights belt of greenery links the with above-ground hills, cascades, part with glass the walls “underground and skylights city”. The and enamels arethe based on the original linksnew the models above-ground part with “underground city”.design The of neworganic modelsshaping and enamels areand based the original design of of space theyonemphasize the importance organic of nature shaping in man’s of space life.and they emphasize the importance of nature in man’s life.
MAGDALENA JETELOVÁ (DES)ORIENTATION? Projects from 1982–2013 30 May – 27 October 2013 Olomouc Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art
The exhibition presents the work of Magdalena Jetelová (*1946), a noted Czech artist, one of contemporary visual artists who have achieved international acclaim. In the form of wooden chairs, staircases and other objects from the late 1970s and the first half of the 1980s she gave an ironic account of life under the Communist regime. Her participation at unofficial events resulted in her not being allowed to attend international exhibitions. Her artistic activity, often bordering on illegality, was reduced to the sphere of artists with a similar outlook on art. InVlastivědné 1983–84 she organized, in her former studio in Prague, an muzeum event with signalling smoke, thus visualizing the expansion of Museum the “red” conglomeration. Dating from before her emigration is of Modern Art the by now legendary and still unfinished landart project, with the ideaOlomouc of an original underground space, called Underground Archdiocesan Museum City. After her emigration in 1985, her studio was destroyed. When she lived abroad, she never slackened off in her creative Regional Museum activity. of AsOlomouc early as 1983 an invitation came to exhibit in the New Art at the Tate Gallery in London, as the only representative of the Eastern Block countries, and then gradually Magdalena Regional Museum Jetelová joined the international artistic scene. in Olomouc Sculpture became her original stepping out, outside the galleries. She began to deal with relations between an object and space. She deconstrues the present form of architecture by a new visuality, destabilizes its face by intentional reversal or repetition of elements, and by a general shift in time she uncovers remote or excluded contexts. She was one of the first artists from the post-Communist countries to start applying new technologies and laser light and made use of coded language of GPS coordinates as well as of modern robotic systems. In the continuously improving technology of new media she has found an opportunity for a revival of communication and for mediation of uncommon emotional experience. She is flexible in her response to place, she extracts it from the common context and alters its structure, with the aim of perceiving different
interlayers interlayers of time of time andand space. space. SheShe never never forgets forgets social social aspects aspects either, either, such such as human as human reights reights andand care care of environment. of environment. In 1992–1995 In 1992–1995 sheshe implemented implemented herher monumental monumental project project Domestication Domestication of Pyramids of Pyramids in several in several cultural cultural institutions institutions in in Europe, Europe, in which in which sheshe confronted confronted their their exhibition exhibition space space withwith thethe strict strict geometry geometry of Egyptian of Egyptian architecture. architecture. Among Among herher other other remarkable remarkable installations installations areare Translocation Translocation I and I and II inIIHannover in Hannover andand Darmstadt Darmstadt in Germany, in Germany, where where sheshe worked worked withwith dynamic dynamic shifts shifts in space in space andand time. time. A direct A direct reaction reaction to place to place itself itself is is found found in her in her other other time-cum-space time-cum-space structures. structures. With With lightlight beams beams sheshe marks marks outout directions directions andand makes makes division division or linking or linking visible visible (Island (Island Project, Project, 1992, 1992, Atlantic Atlantic Wall, Wall, 1994–95; 1994–95; Crossing Crossing King’s King’s Cross, Cross, 1996). 1996). Ground Ground for her for her complex complex creations creations is found is found close close to landart, to landart, conceptual conceptual art,art, andand action. action. Magdalena Magdalena Jetelová Jetelová in 1990–2004 in 1990–2004 waswas teacher teacher at the at the Sta-State Art te Art Academy Academy in Düsseldorf, in Düsseldorf, from from 2004 2004 to the to the endend of 2012 of 2012 professor professor at the at the Academy Academy in Munich. in Munich. After After 1989 1989 sheshe waswas a consultant a consultant to President to President Václav Václav Havel Havel in the in the Prague Prague Castle. Castle. SheShe exhibited exhibited in many in many prestigious prestigious galleries galleries of the of the world world (e.g. (e.g. Museu Museu d’Art d’Art Contemporani Contemporani de Barcelona, de Barcelona, TateTate Gallery Gallery of Art of Art London, London, Museum Museum of Modern of Modern Art Art New New York, York, Chicago Chicago Art Art Center, Center, Martin-Grophius-Bau Martin-Grophius-Bau Berlin, Berlin, Zachęta Zachęta Narodowa Narodowa Galeria Galeria Sztuki Sztuki Warszawa), Warszawa), tooktook partpart in international in international exhibitions exhibitions (Dokumenta (Dokumenta 8 8 in Kassel, in Kassel, Sydney Sydney Biennale, Biennale, Gwangju Gwangju Biennale Biennale in South in South Korea, Korea, th 54th54 Bienale Bienale in Venice). in Venice). On On thethe occasion occasion of being of being awarded awarded thethe Lovis Lovis Corinth Corinth Prize Prize in 2007, in 2007, a large a large monograph monograph about about herher waswas published. published. HerHer work work is found is found in leading in leading world world collections, collections, e.g.e.g. in Paris in Paris in the in the Musée Musée National National d‘Art d‘Art Moderne Moderne Centre Centre G. G. Pompidou, Pompidou, in the in the Museum Museum derder Stadt Stadt Darmstadt, Darmstadt, TheThe Henry Henry Moore Moore Institute Institute Leeds, Leeds, TheThe Hirshhorn Hirshhorn Museum Museum andand Sculpture Sculpture Garden Garden in Washington in Washington D.C., D.C., TheThe National National Gallery Gallery in Prague. in Prague. In the In the exhibition exhibition project project (DES)ORIENTATION? (DES)ORIENTATION? Projects Projects from from 1982–2013 1982–2013 the the space space structures structures areare presented presented through through dynamic dynamic lightlight andand visualization visualization of hidden of hidden energy. energy. Also Also on on display display areare herher latest latest works works using using a text a text or smoke, or smoke, thusthus referring referring to the to the recent recent common common history history of the of the former former post-Communist post-Communist countries. countries. In aInworld a world premiere, premiere, thethe artist artist is introducing is introducing thethe project project of an of an underground underground garden garden centre, centre, designed designed in contrast in contrast to the to the prevaiprevailingling stream stream of the of the uniform uniform housing housing estate estate of South of South Town. Town. TheThe uniqueness uniqueness of the of the project project is borne is borne outout by the by the factfact of this of this being being onlyonly thethe third third independent independent exhibition exhibition of Magdalena of Magdalena Jetelová Jetelová in her in her original original home home country. country. SheShe prepared prepared it specially it specially for for thethe Olomouc Olomouc Museum Museum andand withwith thethe smoke smoke event event at the at the opening opening of of thethe exhibition exhibition sheshe is inviting is inviting youyou to active to active participation participation in this in this project project by an by artist an artist from from Central Central andand Eastern Eastern Europe. Europe.
Accompanying programme Animation programme What art can do / Space without limits Animation programme for the youngest (age 2-6) Thursday / 5 September 2013 / 10:00–11:00 and 15:30–16:30 Museum of Modern Art The animation programme from the cycle “What art can do“ will be a space puzzle associated with the exhibition of Magdalena Jetelová. The story of place, material and time will become inspiration for an art game involving all senses. Entrance is free but for each event a reservation is necessary! Information and reservations: Michaela Johnová Čapková, johncapkova@olmuart.cz, tel.: 585 514 174 From where to where? Animation programme accompanying the exhibition What is space? Who are we and where is our place in it? Can space transform us? And can we transform space? Can we illuminate it? And can we achieve enlightenment? Which is the way in and which out? And what is this city? What to do in order not to get lost in it? How not to lose oneself and not lend a hand to evil? These are all complicated questions. Answers to them will be sought by students together with lecturer David Hrbek and by performing a few practical tasks and playing games in space and with space. The programme is suitable for pupils aged 11-15 and for secondary school students. Information and reservations: David Hrbek, hrbek@olmuart.cz, tel.: 585 514 213
Commented tours Tue / 11 June 2013 / 5 p. m. / Museum of Modern Art Tue / 24 September 2013 / 5 p. m. / Museum of Modern Art Your guide at the exhibition will be its curator Olga Staníková
Lecture on the exhibition Tue / 1 October 2013 / 5 p. m. Museum of Modern Art / Lecture Hall Architecture and public space doc. PhDr. Petr Kratochvíl, CSc.
Underground Underground City City / silkscreen, / silkscreen, enamel, enamel, Ostrava-Vítkovice, Ostrava-Vítkovice, 2013, 2013, property property of the ofartist the artist exhibition exhibition author author of the ofexhibition the exhibition Magdalena Magdalena Jetelová Jetelová curators curators of the ofexhibition the exhibition Michal Michal Soukup, Soukup, OlgaOlga Staníková Staníková architectural architectural design design Magdalena Magdalena Jetelová, Jetelová, Marek Marek Novák, Novák, Michal Michal Soukup Soukup translation translation Jaroslav Jaroslav Peprník Peprník implementation implementation Jan Černý, Jan Černý, Jan Hanák, Jan Hanák, Roman Roman Holub, Holub, Lea Lea Letzel, Letzel, Richard Richard Loskot, Loskot, Matěj Matěj Neubert, Neubert, Fabian Fabian Offert, Offert, RenéRené Rohan, Rohan, Petr Petr Sláma, Sláma, MilanMilan Tomeček, Tomeček, Kamil Kamil Zajíček Zajíček graphic graphic design design Magdalena Magdalena Jetelová, Jetelová, Beata Beata Rakowská, Rakowská, Petr Petr Šmalec Šmalec photographs photographs the author‘s the author‘s archive, archive, Lumír Lumír ČuříkČuřík installation installation Vlastimil Vlastimil Sedláček, Sedláček, Filip Filip Šindelář, Šindelář, Ondřej Ondřej Žák Žák promotion promotion Petr Petr Bielesz Bielesz The The exhibition exhibition was was prepared prepared in cooperation in cooperation with with Ministry Ministry of Culture of Culture of the ofCzech the Czech Republic, Republic, Municipality Municipality of Olomouc, of Olomouc, Olomouc Olomouc Region, Region, Institute Institute for the forStudy the Study of Totalitarian of Totalitarian Regimes, Regimes, Lower Lower AreaArea of Vítkovice of Vítkovice Association, Association, Vítkovice Vítkovice Power Power Engineering, Engineering, a subsidiary a subsidiary of Vítkovice, of Vítkovice, Ltd. Ltd. The The exhibition exhibition is held is held under under the auspices the auspices of the ofDeputy the Deputy Prime Prime Minister Minister and and Minister Minister of Foreign of Foreign Affairs Affairs of the ofCzech the Czech Republic Republic KarelKarel Schwarzenberg. Schwarzenberg. partners partners
media partners media partners
City Hall Astronomical clock Holy Trinity Column
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