The Traces of Eva Kmentová

Sculptress Eva Kmentová (1928–1980) is one of the most important Czech artists of the second half of the twentieth century. The exhibition of her work currently held at House of Arts Brno from August 23 to November 19, 2023 seeks to present the artist to a new generation of viewers.

Kmentová’s work is well known in the Czech cultural environment and in recent decades has become the subject of gradual valuation. The parallels between her life and art with other internationally recognised artists of the 1960s (Alina Szapocznikov, Eva Hesse, Maria Bartuszová) have repeatedly been noted. That’s why the exhibition’s accompanying programme includes an international conference. Its purpose is to clarify the Czech art historical approach to Eva Kmentová’s work, while also acquiring outside reflection.

The first thematic focus will deal with the working conditions of the artist-sculptor in the cultural environment of socialist Czechoslovakia. How did the artist respond to the specific manner of existence of the visual arts based on state/public commissions? How did women sculptors cope with the contemporary status of a female artist and how was this reflected in her work? How did her conditions differ from other women artists working on different sides of the “Iron Curtain”?

The second thematic focus will feature comparative studies of selected artistic practices from the 1950s to the 1970s. How did post-war art education cope with the impulses of modern sculpture? What levels of meaning can be found in the prints and casts for the artist’s statement of a sculptor? What was the meaning of sculptural processuality and ephemerality? What new impulses were brought to contemporary sculpture through the use of written language?

The conference will be broadcasted live and simultaneously translated to English. For more information, please visit here.