Matouš Háša
Here, the seemingly irreconcilable sculptural works of Matouš Háša, derived from the riches of our ancient heritage, were juxtaposed with the works of the experimental, Berlin-based painter Norbert Stefan, which make ample use of modern technologies. Together they erect a modern-day museum (?). The cosmological structure of Stefan's paintings and Háša's animated heroes generate in colour a tonally contemplative Greek temple. In it the viever found the fragments of hallowed sculptures which the young artist Háša chiseled to artisanal perfection from authentic carrara marble. With his tendency for mild irony, even parody, he resurrects the centuries-old pantheon of gods, varies and contextualises the male and female torso, pays homage to the historical masters of sculpture but also dares to banalise the greatness of Michelangelo and Bernini. In his atmospheric paintings Norbert Stefan utilizes blurry details and abstract fragments. The layers of paint evoke the strata of stone, soil and sand unearthed by archeologists to unravel the shape of history. Stefan's paintings infuse with life blood the veins of Háša's fabled heroes of marble. To capture ideal proportions is, in art, equally important as the ability to evoke emotions. The sculptor of ancient icons Matouš Háša and the painter of chemical calligraphies Norbert Stefan enter a dialogue which offers the viewer copious space to apply his own imagination. The authors, through their respective artisanal expertise, descend into bare matter and conjure up a simulacrum of ancient monuments.
