What Is Lost, What Is Gained
5/2021, Photogether Gallery, Zlín, CZ
I borrowed the title from the remote performance work of the Irish artist, and a friend of mine, Paul Regan, that we presented during the 2020 Performance Crossings festival in Prague. During his piece, Paul invited the audience to visit a Catholic mass in the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Prague-Holešovice and to contemplate “what is lost, what is gained”. Paul’s instruction stayed with me.
In May 2021, I wrote this about my performance in Zlín:
“There are artists whose work is based mostly on their personal stories, articulations of emotions, and hidden desires. I do not follow this path too often, usually, I embrace the more ‘serious’ artistic research exploring issues of international mobility and urbanization. But from time to time a desire to share a personal story, to express more openly my inner feelings and emotions takes over. Such a way of working brings risks – of awkwardness, overstrained emotions, excessive introspection. On the other hand, it has a great cathartic potential for both the artist and the recipients. ‘What Is Lost, What Is Gained’ is an example of such kind of work. In a dialogue with the city of Zlín, in silence and with a high concentration, I tried to portray my current state of mind, the state of the society we live in.”
Curated by: Matěj Skalický