Renata Kudlacek
Born in Zabreh, Czech Republic.
Since 2012; lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
Renata critically uses re-enactment, the aftermath of historic scenes in order to look back and make the construction of (art) history, memory and storytelling visible. Much of her recent work relates to the centuries old discussion, which raises the question of life and its origin- the challenge between old standards and the new science that requires constant revision. Aesthetic experience is closely related to ethnical experience. The use of symbolic motives of flowers, butterflies, snakes etc. within traditional interpretation and mythologies is integral to her work.
Could you tell us more about your background and how you began creating art?
I was born in a small town called Zábřeh, in Czech Republic and my father was as a professional photographer. So I grew up with art and creative making. However at my parents’ request for security I did a medical degree first, but decided straight after to follow my affinity for art and moved to London . There I did my BA followed by a Postgraduate Diploma and finished with a Masters Degree in Art at the Royal College of Art. I started showing internationally and managed art Event and Exhibitions as well.
What does your art aim to say to its viewers?
This depends on the series and the kind of art work. Generally I like visually to speak to the viewer and engage them
With the Metamorphoses, I refer to our memory and our imagination is capable of change. It leads to a change and fusion of images. Without imagination there are no imaginative processes - and these are subject to a perpetual metamorphosis, because imagination is never static.
My most recent work expresses the longing for the myth of Eden, for a paradise on earth that has fascinated generations of people since time immemorial. In the series Spectacular Speciemen - the delights of the garden, not only the paradisiacal ones, are celebrated. The series is inspired by the tales of idyllic garden landscapes in the myths of the Orient, of fertile and peaceful oases that God created as homes for man. The flower and fruit wreaths of Spectacular Specimen are slightly rectangular in shape - an allusion to the ancient Iranian idea of paradise as an enclosed park. For paradise to remain a paradise, it needs boundaries. The motifs in this series have - and this is new - a deep black background. They leap powerfully at the viewer from this darkness; he is virtually overwhelmed by what comes to him from these depths.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your daily routine when working?
The starting point for my work are a collection of texts, photos, books and sketches that I created over many years, including an almost incalculable abundance of flower images in the form of my photographs and drawings. They are the base material that will get processes on the computer depending on the theme of the respective series and assembles it into a work. Once the work is completed, the collage work gets printed - digitally or mostly by hand - usually in an edition of five to ten - using the screen-printing process , etching or mixed media technique. I am working in a beautiful print studio here in Berlin where you can rent the workspace and from my private studio space and in the Gallery space. Days for me look never the same.
What is the essential element in your art?
Flowers, Floral elements, Butterflies and their mythology and meaning. The butterfly for example which, due to its emergence from a cocoon, is both a symbol for perpetual transformation and renewal - one of the most poetic images for the self-renewal of the psyche - and a symbol for the soul of a dead person when it leaves the body.
The tulip another exciting sample. Since the tulip mania in the 17th century, the first stock market crash in history, few other plants have undergone such a strong metamorphosis of meaning as this plant: in Turkish culture, tulips used to be considered a symbol of paradise on earth and almost had a divine status, while in the Netherlands they symbolized the brevity of life. Flowing and changing processes can be aptly reflected in the tulip, because unlike other flowers such as the coneflower or the lotus, tulips can genetically reinvent themselves again and again to change their aesthetics to quasi-feathered and mottled petals
In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society?
Many - maybe one thought to put into words… Create something to make the viewer to see the world in new and different way.
Art is integral part of society - it reflects the world we live in and motivates to look at things from a different perspective. But I also believe in beauty - to create and show beauty - I melancholic or dark artwork can also be full of beauty.
