Barbara Benish

Flower power

Public Art Proposal for 
n‡bÞ. Edvarda Beneäe, Praha 1 

The ubiquitious signs of
soviet propoganda that lined
every street corner of Prague
have disappeared. In their
place are the new images of
capitalism: advertisements.
But one prime spot remains
empty and forgotten; facing
the Vltava river adjacent to
the tunnel to Letn‡ are eight
large metal frames on the wall
of nabÞ. Edvarda Beneäe 
(nabÞ. kpt. Jaroäe).

I would like to propose to the
city of Prague to once again
activate that space, but with
art. It could be a rotating
exhibition, with various
artists putting up images each
month. It would not only
enhance the beauty and
interest of the city, but make
a statement to the future that
not all of Prague s prime
public areas are dedicated to
advertisement for products.
To initiate the project, I
propose that hand painted
billboards on metal to be
installed in the current
frames along the street. Where
once were communist hammers
and sickles, I would paint
brightly colored abstract
images of flowers and
purposfully ãprettyÒ designs,
inspired by childrenÔs
drawings, early Warhol ad
designs, and soap boxes. This
is a reaction both to the
politicized history of the
space, but also to much of
public art today in the
U.S.A., which has also become
increasingly politicized as it
is funded by the government.

My posters would be highly
decorative, beautiful images
with no ãmessageÒ other than
something perhaps aesthetic
and abstract. The colors and
motifs are inspired from the
1960s hippy movement called
ãflower powerÒ, that utopian
philosophy based upon the
giving of flowers to end war
and human misery. As Prague is
often compared today to a new
revival of some of those
ideals, and her youth seems
also infatuated with that time
period, I hope these images
will appeal to a wide audeince
who ride and drive past that
part of the Vltava each day.