Jan Ambrůz

After a long pause, Jan Ambrůz, a prominent representative of contemporary non-figurative sculpture and a long-time head of the Sculpture 2 studio at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Brno University of Technology, is now presenting his latest works made for the House of Arts exhibition rooms. Sculptural objects and installations made of various materials (glass, iron and wood) and large-scale black drawings are united by a basic theme, expressed through an elementary shape – the oval that appears throughout the works in modifications and variations of different materials. Ambrůz thus continues his earlier sculptural work based on basic geometric shapes, objects and constructions, with an emphasis on the nature of the chosen material and a relationship to the surrounding space, which has been their basic premise. In his work, the artist often uses and recycles materials from his earlier works, emphasizing the temporality and impermanence of material artefacts. The reduced morphology of Ambrůz’s work carries far-reaching messages, addressing fundamental questions of space, order, the natural cycle and metaphysics.

In the exhibition, Ambrůz’s current ephemeral video work will be set in the context of his sculptural work. The artist consistently documents natural phenomena, happenings and fleeting moments, recording his direct observation of the surrounding nature. This is related to his long-standing activist and community work within the jinákrajina (anotherlandscape) project, based on landscape cultivation, the creation of landscape sculpture spots and other interventions in nature, in which he has been engaged since 2007. In fact, it shows a deep integrity of the artist’s relationship to nature, including the environmental aspects; Ambrůz’s thinking about sculpture, space and landscape thus merges into one indivisible whole.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a monographic publication presenting Ambrůz’s work from the mid-1980s to the present, including the jinákrajina project. Interested visitors will have an opportunity to take part in trips to Šarovy with walks to view sculptures made by Jan Ambrůz in his home’s surroundings.