Roman èalskù

sculptures in cages

I have been thinking about this project
since 1994. After I visited Holland,
where I saw large steel and bronze
sculptures in the parks, I realized,
that Prague is getting old. In Prague
public spaces, even the busiest ones,
such sculptures are placed which belong
to the past not only because of their
political content, but also because of a
poor quality of craftsmanship which was
typical for the past period. During the
time when I was choosing and then taking
photographs of the selected objects I
realized how many inexpressive objects
had been created, and how little
influence upon their placement we had.
Now, we have the possibility to make use
of these inexpressive and politically
dead sculptures for a creative purpose,
and to resurrect them from their
grayness. My project called ÒSculptures
in CagesÒ expresses my liking for the
firm welding seam of an aesthetic
sculptor's detail. The cages create a
limited space around the original
material, they are an element which
stresses the absurdity of the sculptures
by means of hyperbole, an element which
does not destroy the original artifact,
though. The cages are placed on the
upper edge of the plinths. They can be
made of black or stainless steel. There
could be a sign ÒDo not feedÒ placed on
some of them. I think that many of these
sculptures should remain in their
original places as a memento of the
reality which we helped to create. On
the other hand, I want to make clear
that no sculpture expressing a positive
direction has been placed in any
important public space since 1989.