Klára Hosnedlová
Untitled (from the series Nest), 2020
hand blown glass, stainless steel, light bulbs
133 x 15 x 25 cm
52 3/8 x 5 7/8 x 9 7/8 in
52 3/8 x 5 7/8 x 9 7/8 in
'Untitled (from the series Nest)', 2020 was originally produced for 'Nest,' the artists’s first solo exhibition with the Kraupa–Tuskany Zeidler in 2020, curated by Sarah Johanna Theurer. 'Nest’s' formal inspiration...
'Untitled (from the series Nest)', 2020 was originally produced for 'Nest,' the artists’s first solo exhibition with the Kraupa–Tuskany Zeidler in 2020, curated by Sarah Johanna Theurer. 'Nest’s' formal inspiration came from Hosnedlová’s extensive research on the historical site of Ještěd Tower in the Czech Republic, a high-tech, hyperboloid example of Eastern Bloc modernism conceived by architect Karel Hubáček on a mountain peak in the mid-1960s to host a hotel, restaurant, and a TV antenna.
This sculpture reflects some of the aesthetic and formal motifs of the Ještěd Tower, particularly the sculptural use of glass. During the time of the construction of the tower, objects made from glass did not qualify as free but applied art. Therefore, it did not fall under the strict ideological control system that Stalinism applied to the cultural sector. 'Untitled (from the series Nest)', 2020 references the eight glass emblems– said to embody fallen meteorites– mounted to the concrete transmitter shaft of the tower. Hosnedlová’s ode to fallen meteorites is evident, though fastened to the wall, the sculpture appears molten, a metallic sphere suspended in space-age-style design.
‘Nest is a world of what-ifs. The air of a future that never happened radiates from the interior materials, and the mountainous outside the Ještěd Tower. Hosnedlová captures it with precision and empathy, adopting the textures and modular architectural patterns in her wall objects and sculptures. Flickering lights emanate through the shadows of the hand blown glass pillars as if to transmit signals in a permanent suspension.’
This sculpture reflects some of the aesthetic and formal motifs of the Ještěd Tower, particularly the sculptural use of glass. During the time of the construction of the tower, objects made from glass did not qualify as free but applied art. Therefore, it did not fall under the strict ideological control system that Stalinism applied to the cultural sector. 'Untitled (from the series Nest)', 2020 references the eight glass emblems– said to embody fallen meteorites– mounted to the concrete transmitter shaft of the tower. Hosnedlová’s ode to fallen meteorites is evident, though fastened to the wall, the sculpture appears molten, a metallic sphere suspended in space-age-style design.
‘Nest is a world of what-ifs. The air of a future that never happened radiates from the interior materials, and the mountainous outside the Ještěd Tower. Hosnedlová captures it with precision and empathy, adopting the textures and modular architectural patterns in her wall objects and sculptures. Flickering lights emanate through the shadows of the hand blown glass pillars as if to transmit signals in a permanent suspension.’