Shanty Town at Corona Heights

Year: 2010, Corona Heights, San Francisco, USA

Media/Materials Used: cartoon, acrylics

Dimensions: variable, each house approx. 15 x 20 x 20 cm

Today´s world economy cannot be divided into independent sectors; it works like one big, organic worldwide cloud. Everything is related.

One cannot find real shanty town in San Francisco, but Bay Area industry certainly has some influence over urban areas in developing economies worldwide.

So I believe, that San Francisco should have shanty town, although just a miniature one. In a shanty town spirit, it is built from reused material, mostly cartoon and it is situated at not habited spot of the city, raw, wild looking Corona Heights.

If the power of Word could hold a Man

HD video, 4:51

Realized in San Francisco, USA, 2011

My work is in many cases a reflection of actual: what I read and what I see in newspapers, internet and television. The 90% of human catastrophes, natural disasters, political scandals turned into my almost everyday doping - a resource for false feeling of being present, being THERE.

The death of human somewhere in between of the lines becomes banal in the multitude of cases. But if the report about that death would not be spoken out loudly, would it be better? I decided to create this work about it, referencing specially the cases of illegal immigrants risking death trying to cross the sea dividing Africa and Europe on fragile boats.

In this work I translated the situation of worldwide news into one simplified equation: If the power of words can save a man, then I can build a boat from newspaper and sail through the sea.

Plant a Tree in your Truck

Realized in 2011 in Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles

Poster: serigraph on recycled paper, 30 x 45 cm, seeds of maple tree, video 3:35 and serie of photographs

One of the symbols, defining american society, the Truck , has its specific history – once highly functional object invented for the use of farmers and merchants turned to be more a symbol -cult, praised by so many owners in present time. Although today it is losing its functional value as a truck – few of the drivers use the back space, and if so, very rarely. The cult of the truck is based on the look and on the size – the bigger, the better. Although being attracted to these cars for their beauty, in the time of global warming I consider driving them little irresponsible. In the attempt of changing it I use a guerrila method of spreading posters by fixing them on the car, insentivating the owners to plant a tree in the back side of their car to reduce their carbon emissions. The seeds of a maple tree and the instructions to plant it are the part of the kit, together with the poster. Believing that the positive change is possible only by positive methods, the truck owners, instead of being pranked, thay receive a gift:  an original serigraph poster and seed of a tree.

The disappearance of the City of San Francisco

Video 4:33 ; painting – oil and acrylics on canvas, 30 x 20 cm

Filmed at Berkeley Fire trail, CA USA, 2011

The incredible position of the City of San Francisco in the bay, situated on the hills that end on the sea shore – all that made me wonder, how this area could look like before the city was build. The relatively short life of american cities makes it somehow touchable – the original face of the area could be still felt. The unspoiled native land. Now – in the name of the nature I erased the city in the painting by the act of re-painting, leaving just the natural shape of the bay and the mountains. As the nature reclaiming back its property. The name, evoking the miracles done by magicians refers to the endless possibilities of painting media.

Concert for Pacific Ocean

Where is my Home?

Realized since 2009

Serie of 15 x 15 photographs and house made of balsa wood

The house 10 x 10 x 7 cm made from light wood is currently travelling over different cities of the world. Each image represents one place for momentary settlement; many of them remind me my vision of home. But no one is the definitive one. Sometimes forced and sometimes desired, this is the nomadic life of artists or even whole generation around the world, looking for opportunities, love, inspiration, money. We are learning to accept each of this space as our home, although temporary. Running away for something or sometimes running away from ourselves.
This is a work in permanent progress.
The house travelled through these cities and sites: Porto, Portugal; Bratislava, Slovakia; Nizke Tatry / Vysoke Tatry, Slovakia; Nitra, Slovakia; Kosice, Slovakia; Bardejov, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; San Francisco, USA; Muir Woods, USA, New York, USA
The house is presently settled in Nitra, Slovak Republic.