The fact that the space of the gallery -- which usually loosely connects to the rest of the Karlín Studios space -- is closed, indicates that in this case, the semantic game includes the entire space. Individual objects found in the space thus contribute to the overall narrative of the show, whilst holding on to their autonomous quality. The closest connection to the story of the Open-Air Cinema mentioned above incorporates one of the dominating elements of the installation: a row of columns, which due to its lowering tendency evokes an illusion of a deep space. This effect has been gradually appropriated from Renaissance painting into photography and film, and despite its arbitrary nature, has become the equivalent of realistic depiction. The effect, identified by the spectator as a spatial shortcut, however, collapses once in the installation; columns are not lowered only in theory but also in reality…
The aura of the art work has been connected by Walter Benjamin with his “here and now.” Embedded in the “Here and Now” cult (2008, 2009) are also two of Dušan Záhoranský’s textual objects. Words that create individual objects are available only when the spectator moves around – changes his viewpoint and strengthens his relationship with the work by being in the space as well as timeframe as the work. For the Open–Air Cinema exhibition, the artist introduced a new version of this object. There/Then (2010) is positioned at the vanishing point of the installation and becomes what could be perceived as an antithesis of respective, older objects. Both words are available simultaneously, and manifest a permanent point of view. An ambivalent reading of There/Then can however come to the fore only through the overall framework of the installation. A similar tension between the autonomous qualities and the overall reading of the installation is characteristic also for other works presented in Open–Air Cinema (Box Office, Projectionist, Auditorium). A reference to a specific place in the show is connected to a previous work, which D.Z. created in collaboration with Pavel Karous, an intervention in the Prague Folimanka park, also connected to the statue of a gymnast from the academic sculptor Václav Frýdecký. The work of Pavel Karous in many respects resonates with a series of interventions in the public space (Mimikry), crated and documented by D.Z. throughout last year. Minimal interventions that turn remote areas of the city into unique places of contemplation may remind us of constructing film sceneries in the exteriors of the city, where the final form consists of a hardly distinguishable mix of authentic elements and additional “concealed elements.” With his latest installation Dušan Záhoranský can be included among artists who deal on the local art scene with formal relationships between installation and narrative (in this respect it is vital to mention the work of Ján Mančuška or Tomáš Svoboda). The installation of D.Z for Karlín Studios does not, however, lead to a pure and coherent form – individual elements of the installation are driven too freely to fill a specific slot of the script. This approach provides room for the active inclusion of the spectator; it enables him to enrich the basic structure of the work through his very own subjectivity and experience.
Jan Zálešák
The year-round exhibition plan of Karlin Studios is supported by:
Prague City Hall, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic
Media support: Artyčok.tv, PragueOut, Rádio 1, Radio Wave, Umělec, Artmap, Flash Art
