monika immrová
1970, Louny
© Martin Polák
Závodný Gallery exhibitions are rarely conceived as solely sculptural exhibitions. Nevertheless, the works of Monika Immrová displaying a very focused and compact artist´s personal testimony rightfully justifies this approach.
Relief structures in several material variants represented the principal core of the exhibition. Concrete, cardboard, gypsum and cast-iron sculptures are in harmony with the gallery's pure architecture, adding a new visual dimension to it.
A plastic structure, clearly defined by several straight lines, stands out of the monocoloured and visually smooth reliefs of Monika Immrová. The aim to use simple forming elements is evident. Austere reliefs have predefined minimalistic structure which is achieved by the usage of the geometric abstraction nomenclature. Nonetheless, these reliefs are equally natural, unstudied and contain a great deal of wit and playfulness. Light that falls on the edges and surfaces of the relief has a strong modulating effect.
Monika Immrová perceives the light as her partner, she is consciously using its help to model the space - to break the adjacent surfaces, oblique planes are bevelled at a certain angle, the heights of the reliefs are changed by means of sharp cuts and rebounds. All these modifications, often barely noticeable at first sight, serve as springboards for light beams. They complete the entire relief - some parts fall into shady depth, others are illuminated and pushed to the centre of the viewer's attention. Depending on the light intensity, the reliefs change dynamically during the day.
But there is also another dimension of the light. It can unify the monochromatic and height-segmented surface, bring in more plasticity and intensify its monumentality. It has an impact on our state of mind, similar for example to the architectural space of the sacred buildings, where the light falling on the vaults, niches and cornices will deepen the space and make the viewer more sensitive and induce a state of the moment. Monika Immrová deliberately works with the effects of her reliefs, she seeks them out and treats them with humility, sensitivity and respect. In some moments of the day, her wall reliefs reveal their contemplativeness.
Next to the relief structures, the exhibition presented a series of drypoint graphic works, aquatints and free-standing sculptures. Monika Immrová studied graphic techniques at the Václav Hollar Fine Art School in Prague (1992-1995) and has been using them ever since. In 2008 and 2009 she received the Graphic of the Year award.
She was introduced to the fundaments of work with object and sculpture during her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague / 1995 - 2001, at the studio of J. Zeithaml /. Concrete has become her main means of expression. The matter of the object in its conception is timeless, monumental and is in direct interaction with the surrounding space.
