Sculptor Marius Kotrba has a retrospective in Brno; he would have turned 65 this year

Brno – The work of sculptor Maria Kotrba, known primarily for his monumental figurative sculptures, has been exhibited at the House of Art of the City of Brno. The retrospective titled Conditio humana showcases other aspects of the artist, who would have celebrated his 65th birthday this year. The curators selected paintings, reliefs, drawings, and even ceramics. Kotrba was a loner, but his work had European significance and may be appreciated on an international scale, curator Berthold Ecker told reporters today. The exhibition will last until March 3 of next year.

Kotrba, who lived from 1959 to 2011, is one of the significant Czech sculptors of the turn of the millennium. His characteristic touch is especially present in his figures, such as the allegory of Justice in front of the Supreme Administrative Court in Brno, the sculpture Good Shepherd by the D1 near Přerov, or the statue of Saint Christopher, temporarily placed right at the House of Art on Malinovského Square in Brno.

The retrospective exhibition includes works from all areas of the artist's creation, emphasizing their connections. Visitors walking through the gallery halls on the first floor of the House of Art will find that large sculptures, intimate sculptures, paintings of various formats, and reliefs form circles that thematically intertwine.

"Such an opinionated and formally compact connection is rare in contemporary artistic creation,” stated curators Ecker and Jana Vránová. Since the beginning, the central theme of Kotrba's work has remained the human being, inspired by everyday life, personal experiences, interpersonal relationships, but also by spiritual values influencing human existence.

At the House of Art, an exhibition by Brno artist Maud Kotasová also begins. Its foundation consists of a set of nine workers' lockers from various countries. Kotasová painted, described, perforated, and decorated some with embroidery.

"Metal lockers are synonymous with the depersonalized industrial mode of work and a reference to social ghettos that are part of our society,” said exhibition curator Terezie Petišková. "Factories are places where people work, live, dream of a better life, but also die,” Kotasová said.