Exterior Artworks of the Here and Now! Exhibition
Timo - Willkommenskultur

The panel with the neon sign flashing “OPEN”, located above the entrance to the House of Arts, is a work by Brno street-art and visual artist Timo. He has used the principle of taking a common object, a ready-made, and transferring it to an artistic context. The inscription, commonly used as a banner above the entrance or in the shop windows of convenience stores and markets, acquires a new meaning above the entrance to a cultural institution dedicated to exhibitions. It relates mainly to the current situation and long-term frustration due to the interruption of exhibitions and cultural life. The illuminated sign enticing visitors to enter is also an incentive to overcome the barrier that many people feel when visiting exhibition halls and contemporary art galleries. Playing with the meanings of words and their shifts is characteristic of Timo’s work. It is manifested in a number of small text inscriptions transforming logotypes, slogans or brands of business and media companies by means of humorous interventions.

The title Willkommenskultur reveals another layer of the work’s meaning. It reminds of the German past of the House of Arts and at the same time refers to the so-called “welcome culture” promoted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the 2015 European migration crisis. The issue of waves of refugees, as well as of minorities, their position and acceptance in the majority society has remained topical and is associated with a number of unresolved questions.

The work will be launched together with the opening of the exhibition Here and Now!

Timo is a Brno street-art and visual artist. He has been making graffiti for over twenty years and has produced over five hundred works in Brno. The characteristics of his distinctive artistic style, straightforward, apposite and concise in form as is typical of street art, are fine humour, working with text, and a poetic message.