The plant uses its vegetative organ to draw water from the soil. A root is a reservoir and symbiotic organ of reproduction. Many generations have left their imprint on it. When we notice its anthropomorphic form, it begins to lodge in our memory, and we eventually brace both hands on the dirt and pull it right out of the ground. In daylight, we see the dirty thing in every detail: the delicate pattern written into the grooves and scratches gradually appearing on the surface.
Anežka Abrtová’s work reflects an effort to present what is happening inside us by combining the subjects. The powerful aspect of the physicality of the objects, resulting from the contrast with the symbols in the paintings, thus permeates the entire exhibition. The artist plays with the idea of what we experience and what we present on the outside.
Intuitive stories serve Abrtová to delve into the subject of the body and to evoke a deep sense of situational intimacy and connection with objects. She combines children’s clothing, traditional fabrics, or empty oyster shells and layers them with natural or soft padding reminiscent of insect cocoons. The interplaying textures and fabrics appear on almost human objects and sculptures. The blending of textures and clothes then emerges on pieces of almost human proportions. The visitors thus also interact with a very familiar situation, facing their vulnerability, which contrasts with the physical firmness of the material. Compared to Abrtová’s earlier endeavors, we encounter a slightly lighter, more generous drawing approach here, though most artworks still appear remarkably complex and varied. Complements to the subjects are small details in paper drawings or a series of delicate watercolors. We can also see a more comprehensive union of material and draughtsmanship approaches and their interconnection in the individual exhibition halls.
As we enter the exhibition, the central object becomes a wooden sculpture with a mixture of fabric materials towering in the middle. Its imaginary finger gives direction, pointing to the corner. A long, color drawing that almost falls to the ground in its format occupies the opposite side of the room. The approach to the exhibition space seems to be a search for a balance between conscious and unconscious experience, offering us a path to follow through the display. It is thus about experiencing our innate sensitivity and action through our bodies. It is about working with intensity and its subsequent more relaxed, conscious form. There is energetic drawing in large color formats, which has recently transformed into a larger, more encompassing form.
Two illusory mirrors suspended from the ceiling and a slightly disturbing object ‒ a fabric carpet in the display case by the main door ‒ complement the spatial composition. Motifs of children’s drawings fuse via the author’s drawing within the formats, and their imaginative nature develops in the large-scale drawings as a processual line. The motif’s ambiguity in the color drawings seems to be an intuitive yet suggestive clue or map for finding meanings within the image. If we finally resolve to reach the hidden core, we will know that we have peeled off the last layer.

Exhibition sound: Edi

POP-UP Galerie AVU is supported by The City of Prague and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

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