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Katerina Vincourova: Inside Out
Katerina Vincourova, one of the most respected young Czech artists,
often uses her work to examine notions of capitalist consumerism as they
have taken hold in post-communist Czech society. Her installation pieces
have been said to "comment upon a crisis of the individual's identity,
manipulated by the growing power of the media which dictates the values
for society" (Grigar 2007: 20).
On view in her 2002 exhibit "New Heroes" were five enormous
inflatable white objects shaped like bottles, cans or toothpaste tubes.
Each is filled with various objects visible through transparent plastic
"windows," such as hanging birdlike toys made out of blue-dyed feathers,
reclining figures made of Coca-Cola cans and plastic cups, a color
photograph of a panda bear behind a green curtain printed with U.S.
dollar bills, and a sleeping bag that suggests a homeless person might
be inside it. This grouping hints at a strange, cosmic expedition.
Although these sculptures would have made a powerful show on their own,
Vincourova added an installation titled "New Heroes". This satirical yet
profound work featured four large 3-D cartoon characters made of
colorful foam-stuffed fabric. Shaped like a cell phone, a lightbulb, a
carrot and a toothbrush, these human-size Gumby-like figures with
stylized arms and legs are based on popular animated characters from
Czech TV commercials. Apparently taking a break from their usual duties
of selling consumer products, the creatures are shown seated on large
wooden tree stumps, resting beside a flickering fire (red, orange and
yellow strips of fabric activated by a small ventilator). In spite of
its comic elements, the installation suggests a forest decimated in the
interests of big business. Employing humor and irony, Vincourova mocks
the false promises and empty icons that corporations routinely use in
kitschy advertising campaigns. Her "new heroes" remind us that while
consumerism promises momentary happiness, in the long term it can
destroy the natural environment and diminish the quality of our
lives.
"Inside Out," another series from 2006, depicts underwear stretched
out among balls and sometimes over inflated balls, as in two of the
images displayed here. Also depicted here is an untitled watercolor
from 2004 as an example of another sexuality-focused piece.
References
"The Gendered Body as Raw Material for Women Artists of Central Eastern Europe in the Post-Communist Decade."
www.units.muohio.edu/havighurstcenter/publications/documents/grigar1.pdf (PDF).
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