Story (Příběh)

13. 10. – 28. 10. 2022
Opening: 13. 10. 2022 at 6:00 pm
Galeriya Seryakova Kashta, ul. "Angel Kanchev" 6, Tsentar, Troyan, Bulgaria.

From 9. 11. 2022
Czech Centre Sofia, ul. Rakovski 100, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Everything carries a story. It's up to us whether we are interested in uncovering it. This is the path taken by the students of the Ceramics and Porcelain Studio at UMPRUM, when they chose a specific artefact in the Moravian Gallery in Brno, in the Black Depot exhibition, identified its story, and interpreted it in their own work. What each piece hides and how it has been transformed under their hands will be on display at the two Story (Příběh) exhibitions in Bulgaria.

The project of the same name was created during the summer semester 2021/2022, during which the students delved into the secrets of the selected works, technologies, and the creation and fate of their authors. "What unites all the works is an inquiry into the role that narrative plays in the process of making a work and the possibilities of sharing narratives through objects. Are the objects themselves endowed with the ability to speak, or are they rather a surface on which contemporary interpretative frameworks are projected?", explains Milan Pekař, the head of the studio.

The presented works conceptually create a subjective cross-section of the history of European ceramic production. The exhibition presents works that respond to medieval artefacts, traditional ways of creating folk pottery, and the products of the first porcelain manufactories, as well as technological phenomena and modern artists.

We can mention, for example, Alžběta Pomahačová's "Narrative of the Basket", which focuses on the development of vessels - from used prehistoric pottery bearing traces of wicker and ropes to subtly carved pottery designed primarily for serving exotic fruits. She follows the principles of formal imitation, working with structure, colour, and morphology. She crocheted baskets from old fabrics, which she then dipped in clay and after firing decorated with sweetly coloured glazes popular in the Rococo period.

Ema Harmanová in her work "The Unidentified Author" points out the issue of copying and forgeries that have been created within the field, but remain silent. As an example, she chose the clandestine production of faithful copies of Wedgwood stoneware. Using a 3D scanner and photogrammetry, she herself created a faithful copy of a fake sugar bowl, which she stamped with the sarcastic, unmissable inscription WEDGWOOD.

Kryštof Vícha focused on Helena Johnová, the founder of the Ceramics and Porcelain Studio at UMPRUM. In her multifaceted work, she was most interested in portraiture, specifically the Portrait of the boy Jiřík John. The glazed bust of the artist's nephew is based on a popular Renaissance work by the workshop of Luca Della Robia. In Vícha's sculpture, a portrait of a child, he draws attention to the ambivalence of the childhood experience. He captures him in a moment of conflict with the world, a moment of rebellion, but one in which he realizes that it is fruitless.

Šárka Ištvánová also developed the story in an original way, producing a series of tiles for a café of the same name in Prague 1 in her project "Café and Restaurant Tobruk". Inspired by DUC WORKS from Dolní Bělá near Horní Bříza, the tiles represent the flow of guests' stories at the popular establishment. The Story (Příběh) exhibition includes a very wide range of works inspired by various ideas and destinies.

On the basis of the previous successful cooperation with the Czech Centre Sofia and the exhibition "Popovrchu" by Milan Pekar, the students now have the opportunity to present themselves to the Bulgarian audience. The exhibition will first be on display at the Serjakova Kesht Gallery in Troyan and will then move to the Czech Centre in Sofia. Apart from the exhibition, the studio plans to cooperate with the National School for Applied Arts Troyan to spread awareness of the local craft techniques taught at the school.

Exhibitors: Marie Boková, Ema Harmanová, Johana Hnízdilová, Žofie Josefína Horáčková, Šárka Ištvánová, Emma Kočnerová, Gréta Kušnírová, Markéta Picková, Liubov Plavska, Alžběta Pomahačová, Josefína Vaňková, Kryštof Vícha, Jan Adam Hlušička, and Soňa Juríková.

Conception and pedagogical guidance: Milan Pekař, and Tereza Sluková.

Partners of the exhibition are: The Czech Centre in Sofia, The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Sofia, City of Trojan. 
The exhibition was created on the basis of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council.