David Černý
David Černý (born December 15, 1967 in Prague) is a Czech sculptor who is best known for his controversial public art works in Prague. His work challenges the nature of what is deemed acceptable or offensive while recognizing the pervasive presence of the absurd. His incredibly well crafted pieces are thought provoking and generate both humor and outrage.
The renowned contemporary Czech artist first became famous when he painted a tank pink, to ridicule the symbol of the soviet 'liberation' of the Czech Republic. As the Monument to Soviet tank crews was still a national cultural monument at that time, his act of civil disobedience was considered "hooliganism" and he was briefly arrested.
Among his portfolio stands a pastiche of Saint Václav (Wenceslaus), depicting the Czech patron sitting on a dead horse which hangs upside down. His installation showing former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in an aquarium filled with formaldehyde and a pastiche of an installation called Shark were banned in Poland and Belgium in 2006. Another of Černý's conspicuous contributions to Prague is "Tower Babies," a series of cast figures of crawling infants attached to Žižkov Television Tower.
In 2009, Černý unveiled Entropa. a sculpture created under commission for the Czech Republic to mark the occasion of its presidency of the Council of the European Union. The sculpture is an ironic jab at the issue of European integration and the stereotypes associated with each country. It is subtitled Stereotypes are barriers to be demolished, in accord with the Czech European Union Presidency motto of Europe without barriers. According to the artist David Černý, Entropa "lampoons the socially activist art that balances on the verge between would-be controversial attacks on national character and undisturbing decoration of an official space".
documents to download
David Cerny Media Monitoring: Proc Ne
David Cerny Media Monitoring: Lidové Noviny