My diploma deals with vulnerability, early memories, fear, and reactions to various life experiences. The main subject is keeping one’s distance from fear and anxiety and finding space for therapy and hope, which leads to believing that everything would eventually turn out well. I like to be afraid if I know that fear would be followed by the pleasant sense of relief. The marionettes in my painting series symbolize horror and restlessness. Tenderness and hope are represented by the figure of a horse that plays the role of the closest companion. In the series, I work with the ambiguity between fear and courage, tenderness and creepiness, calm and restlessness, damnation and redemption.
Anna Kyjovská, 2022

Above: Anna Kyjovská, Dear to Me, 150×130 cm, oil on canvas, 2023