Petra Kralickova 2005
Intimation of Remembrance
July 9th - Aug. 31st, 2005
Recent works by Ohio artist Petra Kralickova will be on view at Charlie Cummings Clay Studio &
Gallery in Fort Wayne, IN, from July 9 - August 31, 2005.
The Czechoslovakian-born Kralickova draws inspiration for her emotionally potent figurative
sculptures from a universal wellspring: "I observe people," the artist states. "I notice subtle
gestures...in conflict and repose. I am interested in the reactions and emotions that we try to hold back, yet are unable to conceal entirely."
These struggles to conceal instincts and emotions within the body are portrayed powerfully in
Kralickova's distorted, life-sized ceramic figures; her hand-built bodies have been bent and
folded, stretched, and closed.
Kralickova's imaginings of the human body "filling up with experiences that are too intense to
take in, or absorb," are drawn from her childhood memories of growing up in the then-Communist
state of Czechoslovakia, and from work she has done with the mentally ill."In both instances, I
have witnessed the colonizing effects of oppression on both the mind and the body."
Click here to view the exhibition. Please contact Charlie at (260) 458-9160 or
charlie@claylink.com if you are interested in
purchasing any of the pieces featured in the show.
Artist Statement
I observe people. I notice subtle gestures and human activity in conflict and repose. I am
interested in the reactions and emotions that we try to hold back yet are unable to conceal
entirely. I imagine the physical body filling up with experiences that are too intense to take
in or absorb. I portray this internal struggle by building figures whose bodies have been
stretched, closed up, bend or folded over.
Concealment, struggle, stillness, strength and fragility, are all essential themes in my
artwork. These core themes are strongly influence by my childhood memories of growing up
in Czechoslovakia during the communist regime, and by my experience working with people who
suffered from mental illness. In both instances, I have witnessed the colonizing effects of
oppression on both the mind and the body. Metaphorically, the emotive residue is what remained.
My building process is deeply rooted in the hand-building tradition, using clay as my primary
material. I enjoy the malleable quality of clay, its strength and fragility that underline the
metaphor for the human body.
