Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, October 30, 2021: Monika Horčicová, a Czech sculptor (3D printing) (#1405)

Czech artist Monika Horčicová (1988), born and raised in Prague, creates complex sculptures using 3D printing technology and polyester resin. The conceptual skeletal structures seem amazingly real, as if these mechanisms would actually have a functional purpose. What is most striking, in this regard, is the anatomical precision of a totally new and harmonious human-like form. Some of the works are also very dynamic and the repetitive cycles that they are based on give the impression of a wheel, for example, in a surreal interpretation of a once familiar object.

The themes approached by the artist are a metaphor for death and life, a reflection on mortality and perhaps immortality, resulting from an unceasing interest in the human body and its multiple possibilities of representation.

Interview:

What inspires you? What inspired this piece/idea?
Last year I finished my studies at The Studio of Figurative Sculpture, and was inspired by the natural form of the human body. I’m interested in working with the real shapes of human body as a medium to express my thoughts.

What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?
Many tools are important :-). I have my favorite spatula, for instance -- can’t do anything without it. Also, I often use mechanical tools such as a small milling machine and lots of abrasive canvases. Sometimes, though, it's sufficient to capture and put down ideas using just a pencil and a paper.

Name a couple of things that make you happy?
My partner, food, alcohol, music.

You're working with tradition and technologies together. How does technology influence your work?
As you can see through my work, I'm very enthusiastic about 3D technologies. Without it, some pieces could not hold their own as sculptures. I’m glad that I'm able to transform my ideas into objects via 3D technology.

Sometimes artists get obsessed with objects. I’ve seen a lot of bones in your work as a subject or element. What makes you so interested in bones? Would you elaborate?
I can say it's a skeletal motif. Most of my works have the actual shape of bones as a foundation. It's something that fascinates me. I used to see and work with the bone structures in my first years of studying (Studio of Sculpture). In my Studio of Sculpture class, we emphasis the bones and their functions. Then there's a general 'symbolism' of bone, which is basically a metaphor for life and death . How it effects us when we see a bone by itself or in a skeletal composition. I´m trying to convince the viewer (and myself) that death may not be so scary after all. Therefore, most of my compositions are simplified and the bones are stylized. Perhaps I might try to interpret things in light of my own mortality.

I see a lot of repetitive or cycling patterns in your work. Does it mean something emotionally or psychologically?
Maybe... Everything is connected to everything else…

Who is your intended audience?
I don't work with an intention to focus on a set group of people. I like it when someone is interested in my work because the feedback from the audience is always interesting. But it is not a high priority for me.

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