Metal is harder than wood and harder than the human body; it inflicts trauma, yet it is also traumatized itself. It oscillates between protection and vulnerability. Zorkin says: “I believe that my work and this project can never be a literal expression of tragedy; art rarely describes or narrates events directly. However, it is important for me to capture the mental and physical tension that unites us all in the fight against the enemy and helps maintain a shared faith. My artistic language has always reflected the theme of life’s victory over death, but only now is it no longer an abstract theme.”
Konstantin Zorkin’s project emphasizes the ecological aspect of human existence, reflecting on climate change, humanity’s impact on the natural environment, and the fatal consequences of human activity on the world.
For its first international presentation, Ochranná vrstva is divided into two complementary parts, each installed in its own venue. In Olomouc, it is housed in the former coal storage building at the University Hospital, which is now being transformed into SOMA, a center for contemporary art and psychotherapy. In Šumperk, it is the alternative industrial space of the Contemporary Czech Art gallery. Each emphasizes its own focus: in the first case, it leads us back to ourselves, to empathy and communication; in the second, it emphasizes the significance of the aesthetic experience of reality and individual creativity. Yet one cannot exist without the other—only conditionally.
A visual artist living and working in Kharkiv. He is one of the most prominent figures on the contemporary Ukrainian art scene. Among other things, he is the recipient of an award for set design. He focuses primarily on sculpture and installation art, illustration and drawing, puppet theater, and performance. He prefers humble materials—wood, metal, fabric—and reduces and abstracts narratively rich structures. He draws on the richness of European mythology and is fascinated by the magical function of art. The theater production Vertep (Nativity Scene), which he created in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the Kharkiv Puppet Theater, became a cult classic, as did the production Žirafa Mons. The project In the Name of the City (2024), prepared in collaboration with the Kharkiv Literary Museum, was personally commended by British historian Timothy Garton Ash. It also included a graphic novel of the same name.
A space designed for sharing, interaction, learning, and overcoming various forms of trauma through and with the help of contemporary art. It is a community project supported by the Olomouc University Hospital and the Olomouc Museum of Art. It is shaped locally, combining meditative and engaging tools. It focuses on the individual and their experience of their own life and the current situation. It utilizes the facilities of a unique industrial building (an example of Bedřich Rozehnal’s late functionalist architecture), located at the northeastern tip of the Olomouc hospital complex, and serves as a beacon marking safe urban territory. Who is healthy here and who is a patient? What does a resilient society look like, and how does it present itself? What is the purpose of public space? And how do we shape and share it?
A nonprofit project based on the idea of presenting the works of contemporary Czech artists—whose artistic expression can be considered distinctive and exceptional—to both the general public and the art community. Its goal is to bridge the gap between the contemporary audience and contemporary art—by encouraging exhibiting artists to engage with visitors through guided tours and freely published interviews. Conversely, it aims to guide viewers toward a deeper understanding of the artistic artifact and its interpretation based on accessibility. The space should be perceived as a meeting point for groups, where some recognize the need to approach art creation with sincerity and without bias, while others are sufficiently open-minded to view the results of such work through a lens unburdened by the visual dogmas of the era. A gallery in an industrial space with a breathtaking view of the city of Šumperk and the Jeseníky Mountains.
Organized by Sluňákov in cooperation with the Partnership Foundation (Lucie Řehoříková)
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