Matouš HÁŠA ⁶

In response to current events in culture and society, I work with the medium of figural sculpture, which I place into iconographic contexts as a reminder of symbolic and archetypal visual representation. I work with classical themes, which in Europe primarily means Christianity and pre-Christianity. In my work, I consciously draw on the roots of Western culture, which I translate into a portrait of postmodern man. I explore the question of identity, which the present day has robbed of mystery and privacy. The impossibility of seeing the true face of things generates the psychological phenomenon of our often apathetic reaction to news of tragic events in the world. I am also interested in the phenomenon of “media avatars,” which have become a medium and a tool for the depersonalization of interpersonal contact. I disturb my sculptures through the use of a contemporary visual element, by which I break down their classical form. An important role in these artefacts is not just their meaning, but also the aesthetic value of the figures’ composition. Thanks to their combined inspiration from classical sculpture (Michelangelo, Rodin) and contemporary figural artists (Marc Quinn, Banksy), my work is a formal continuation of the tradition of Western sculpture. Through the sculptures’ meaning, the context in which they were made, and their placement, I try to apply this tradition without robbing it of its authenticity and spiritual content.