NEWS
Argišt Alaverdyan in Fruit with the Taste of Potato Dumplings: Anna Zemánková at the Gočár Gallery
Anna Zemánková’s (1908–1986) solo exhibition presents her work in a new light and departs from the traditional perception of the artist as a representative of art brut, or outsider art. The exhibition positions her work in the broader art historical context, linking it to works by contemporary artists and selected pieces from the Gočár Gallery collection. The exhibition offers an overview of Anna Zemánková’s entire oeuvre, from her early large-format drawings on paper, through collages of painted cut-outs made of paper or satin, to later works combining painting, embroidery, beads and textile applications. It traces the evolution of her work from natural and organic motifs towards abstract, ornamental and geometric compositions. Zemánková’s inspirations came primarily from nature, Moravian folk costume, Baroque architecture and the visual culture of the 1960s and 1970s. Natálie Drtinová, Pavel Liška (extract)
Gočár Gallery, Pardubice, Jun 21 – Sep 29, 2026
Image: Argišt Alaverdyan, Life_Interface 14, 2024, pencils on paper, 40 x 45 cm. Courtesy the artist.
PUBLICATIONS
Pavla Dundálková in conversation with Marek Meduna. Potyčka na území nikoho, Center for Contemporary Arts Prague.
She had to put her calling temporarily on hold. Bystanders felt she had shed her skin. It’s growing, expanding in all directions. What’s up is down. Shallowness was being transformed into vastness. She laid small souvenirs behind the elastic membrane of urgent duties. Washing, ironing, cooking, being a step ahead, minding her own business and smiling. The last above all. A ruffled, loosely flowing fabric stretched across the room. It divided the space in two. It was easy to cross, but far from visible. An endless, free-floating feed of rising standards from Instagram permeated the nearby space. Influencers mingled with the cooing of pigeons on the windowsill. She looked up at the window and saw only the passing of time. Everyone needs certain conditions to live. Things were different in Bertold Brecht’s time than today. Entitles and rights dug like thorns into her soft skin. She typed her name into Google. Over the years, information has been hierarchised in different ways, the algorithm has changed without this being visible in its instantiation. At first glance everything remained the same. She opened the box and walked deep into the forest. The path turned into a trail. The trail dissolved into dense undergrowth from which the rustling of hidden animals could be heard. She wanted to coax a few dryads, though she knew not why. She hadn’t even seen their silhouette yet. Brokilon was silent. She set up camp for the evening. She sat staring into the darkness of the chest. She chewed foxglove on her tired, aching body. When she awoke in the morning, they stood silently around her. Slender and blending into their trees. One by one they told her that the sight of soil, dirt, mud and cracked earth gave them the greatest pleasure. The soil has its suppleness, its colour, its texture and its latent shape. They feel a piece of the whole world in the palm of their hands. What excites them the most is the space inside, where the soil comes alive and the seed becomes the germ for photosynthesis and new life. So they feel included in its course. The parable of the cave is turned inside out. The stalactites and stalagmites were eating into the open space. Truth has divided itself into too many simultaneous and individually undemanding tasks. There are doors that have been closed until the end of the world. Marek Meduna
Potyčka na území nikoho, eds. Marek Meduna, Zuzana Blochová, published by Center for Contemporary Arts Prague, 2024
Image: Pavla Dundálková, Multitasking hand, 2021. Photo by Jiří Thýn. Courtesy Stone Projects.