SIGNAL FESTIVAL 2024: IMMERSIVE LIGHT INSTALLATIONS AND DIGITAL ART AT PRAGUE'S ICONIC LANDMARKS

SpY Orb, Prague Castle

There’s something truly magical about wandering the streets of Prague during Signal Festival. For twelve years now, every mid-October, the city becomes a living canvas, blending the historical grandeur of its architecture with the vibrant pulse of digital art.

This year was no different. And, since I was in Prague during this time, for the first time in years, it was only natural for me to dive into the magic on a Friday night, trying to cover as much of both festival routes as possible.

I started out in Kunsthalle, in the paid “Gallery Zone” portion of the festival. The gallery is home to the “Strange Attractions” show by United Visual Artists which was recommended by the festival founder himself. I liked it and I think you might too (it’s on display at the gallery for a few days after the official end of the festival on October 13). That said, one of my absolute highlights was the SpY ORB in the South Gardens of Prague Castle. It’s a glowing sphere that felt both otherworldly and perfectly in tune with the impressive castle surroundings. There’s something about the way it just hangs there in the dark, drawing you in with its simplicity and size. I found myself standing there mesmerized, taking in the sight (and trying to find the best angle to capture the sculpture) as the light shifted subtly across the orb’s surface.

Another standout for me was the Dimensional Sampling by Cao Yuxi at Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square). This LED projection installation transformed a portion of the square with its dynamic, cube-shaped light show. It felt surreal, juxtaposed with the medieval architecture of the House at the Stone Bell and the Tyn Church nearby. I was completely captivated by the interplay of light and shadow as the cube pulsed and glowed, almost like a beacon of the future in the heart of old Prague.

Of course, the Gallery Zone is a must-see if you want to dive even deeper into the festival. Besides the UVA work at Kunsthalle, I managed to see the installation by Seohyo at the Prague Castle Riding Hall and genuinely enjoyed it.

It’s one thing to see these installations, but the experience of exploring both the Hradčany and Centrum routes really lets you dive into the full spectrum of what Signal Festival offers. From digital projections on the Archbishop’s Palace to the surreal sculptures in Sternberg Palace, every turn reveals something new and unexpected. I’m glad I ventured out into the evening to take it all in.

If you’re in Prague in October, do yourself a favor and experience this festival—it’s a feast for the senses, and you won’t regret it!

If you're interested in exploring more about contemporary art and immersive travel experiences, I recommend checking out Loves Art Will Travel’s post on discovering Uhelny Mlyn, a hidden contemporary gallery just outside Prague. The blog delves into the charm of this industrial-modern space, much like Signal Festival’s own exploration of blending history and modern art. You can read more about it here

YAYOI KUSAMA HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT AT THE SERRALVES MUSEUM IN PORTO

Porto. A city best known for its “shabby chic” tiled architecture, vertigo-inducing iconic bridges and countless brands of Port wine from the Douro valley is currently also playing host to a fabulous art show by Yayoi Kusama. The local Serralves museum has organized a show called “YAYOI KUSAMA: 1945 TO NOW” that is on display through the end of September.

It was only natural, then, that I took myself and my fortunately very willing friend to see the show during a recent visit to Porto. The start was not for the faint-of-heart. Long lines stretching round the block almost immediately made us question the wisdom of going on a Sunday (especially on a day that was free of charge for local residents), but fortunately, once the museum gates opened, the line moved quickly and within a few minutes we were inside, ready to see Ms. Kusama.

The show, featuring about 160 works, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations, covers Kusama’s avant-garde vision from the 1940s through present time, focusing on the different aspects of her interest in interconnection and reflections on natural cycles of regeneration. You will see videos from the artist’s life, her evolving style of painting and her playful installations - from the iconic yellow pumpkins to a profound childlike joy-inducing black and white dotted infinity room (a nice benefit - unlike during the Zwirner show in New York, the wait time here lasts minutes rather than hours! And yes, you will have a lot of fun. We sure did.)

This exhibition is organised by M+, Hong Kong in collaboration with the Serralves Foundation and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, curated by Doryun Chong and Mika Yoshitake, supported by Isabella Tam.

For those who are craving even more contemporary art, Porto offers its Art District centered around the Rue de Miguel Bombarda that is lined with many smaller galleries - from Presenca gallery on one end to the more commercial Tilsitt gallery on the other end. Other great galleries are sprinkled throughout the city, such as the great Nuno Centeno or Lehmann + Silva. Just make sure you time your visit after the summer holiday when many galleries close.

Where to stay? Porto is a very walkable city (well, if you don’t mind the cobble stoned streets and its hilly landscape - this is definitely a sneaker town, leave your heels at home) so pick an accommodation that is centrally located. We stayed at the Pousada do Porto and loved its quiet room right off the major pedestrian zone.

Bem vindo ao Porto!

Expanding the Kusama Experience: Kistefos Museum

If you’re a fan of Kusama’s work, another breathtaking destination to consider is the Kistefos Museum in Norway. Home to the famous Twist building designed by Bjarke Ingels, Kistefos features a vast contemporary art sculpture park where Kusama’s vibrant works are displayed alongside other renowned artists like Anish Kapoor and Olafur Eliasson. Located in the Norwegian woods, Kistefos offers a unique blend of art and nature, creating an experience that's both immersive and tranquil—much like Kusama’s works themselves. For more details on the museum, check out my post on Kistefos Museum here.

ENTER THE LARGER-THAN-LIFE WORLD OF SLOVAKIA’S MARTIN MOFLAR

As I have been known to do, when I run into an artist whose work catches my eye, especially. when I think they should be known to a much larger group of people, I ask to chat with them here and share their fabulous work with you all. I hope this time is no different and you enjoy my interview with Martin Moflar.

I came across your work by chance, thanks to the Instagram profile of an artist friend. It immediately captivated me – it's fantastic. So let's start from the beginning. Who is Martin Moflar and what drew you to painting?

I was born in Košice in 1975. I studied at a secondary school of applied arts, specializing in promotional graphics. As my parents divorced soon after I was born, my Mom was my sole supporter during this time. During my studies, I discovered visual arts as well as classical music and auteur cinema. I eventually completed my education at the Faculty of Education at the University of Prešov where I majored in Art Education. During my studies, I primarily focused on drawing from models, classical graphic techniques, dry pastels, oil painting, and art history. Then, in 1999, I joined the newly established Faculty of Arts at the Technical University in Košice, which was founded by the renowned Slovak sculptor Juraj Bartusz, with geometric painter Adam Szentpétery and painter and conceptualist Rudolf Sikora, under whom I finished my master's studies, also being prominent figures there. I began to explore abstract painting towards the end of my studies. These were analytical-gestural works, watercolors, and oils in smaller formats. It was only towards the end of my studies that I ventured into monumental painting.

In drawing, painting, and experimenting with classical graphics at the beginning of my studies, I was inspired by the works of Joseph Beuys. Though I started as a figurative artist, I enjoyed working with expressive abbreviations in personal poetic and sometimes autobiographical themes. Apart from art, I was also interested in paleontology and findings of prehistoric humans for a time. I was fascinated by the minimal remains - an imprint, a fragment as evidence of life. My gestural abstraction was thus morphologically marked by reproductions of fossil fragments of bones and skulls. To help me focus on work, I also relied on music, listening to various genres, though eventually settling on more classical music, such as Bach and Arvo Pärt.

Artists evolve and change their work over time. How has your work evolved? What inspired you to change? And what changes have you made since then? Who or what inspires you today?

In addition to professional literature, I've always been interested in recorded interviews with artists. I was intrigued by the circle of abstract painters like Barnet Newman, Elsworth Kelly, Robert Motherwell, and Mark Rothko. Thanks to my friend, the composer Juraj Vajó, I discovered music by Olivier Messiaen, Edgar Varèse, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, as well as Tristan Murail and Giacinto Scelsi. Music was like a landscape to which I always enjoyed traveling. (There are many practical aspects associated with physical traveling that I do not like to deal with : )...)

An example of concentrated and focused artistic creation locally was the sculptor Mária Bartuszová, whom I had the chance to meet personally in Košice. But even before that, there was the context of the painters of the Košice modern movement and Július Jakoby and Anton Jasusch and their generational contemporaries.

But to return to the generation of the painting language, I transitioned from expressive alla prima painting, where the handwriting is evident in the brushwork. From a positive, elemental gesture, I moved to a method where shapes are created negatively by omitting expanses from the basic color field. Later, I started using a more constructive method, where softly acting lines are precisely and slowly inscribed into clean color fields. Most recently, I have worked with a shaped frame of the painting, whose form is meant to evoke some external force acting on the linear structure, which yields to its pressure. The loops evoke some kind of organic exuberance, reminiscent to some of sea organisms or even trilobites.

Your paintings are characterized by vivid color and delicate, almost minimalist abstraction. What do you try to capture in your works? And how do you choose colors? Are there any you particularly like to return to?

Shortly after completing my studies, I taught painting and graphic techniques at the Faculty of Arts. At that time, I began to more freely explore the properties and effects of colors along with the painting surface itself. Color is a unique quality, so I approach it differently with each painting. Sometimes I first choose a specific color I want to work with, then look for its response in relation to other colors, and explore their interaction in relation to shapes, details, and the overall composition. I work with a color chart and consider the proportions of areas, brightness, and contrast. I don't have a favorite color, but there was a time when red was my top choice. When my daughter was born, pastel tones appeared in my work.

I used high-quality Old Holland paints, and perhaps out of respect for the material, I wanted to let the properties of opaque or more translucent colors stand out in simple relationships. I delved into the analysis of intuitive processes in creating abstraction. The fascination of a painting lies in what is unsaid, the uncertainty of scale, and the paradoxical pseudo-space. It also recalls sequences of imaginary organic processes shaped by composition, color, and the interplay of pure-empty and fragmented surfaces.

Your works are usually of large dimensions and are truly impressive. How does handling a theme in large scale differ for you compared to a smaller dimension? Why is that important to you? How does each of your compositions come to life?

Large formats are preceded by preparation in tempera, where I paint color sketches on paper almost as small as a postcard, from which I create an archive to which I can return. Those designs that resonate more with me and in which I see potential, I enlarge once again in tempera to make sure they work. Some of these designs, after some time (sometimes even more than three years), I then assess as suitable for a large scale oil painting, others I paint in medium format. Although I always expressly enjoy working with large dimensions as it represents a form of freedom for me, there is a risk of potential failure. Some compositions gain a more effective expression along with the enlargement of scale, others do not...

In those large-scale canvases, I have been using a connection between individual panels as part of the composition, and ultimately it is the only "real" element in the painterly illusion... I always made sturdy frames myself so I could influence the composition of large panels. I also like the surface of painting substrates that I prepare, despite the lengthy process, and thus even in smooth painting, the result bears a trace of craftsmanship.

You have a studio and have been creating in Slovakia for many years. What inspires you the most in your home country? What would you like to communicate to the general public about it?

I am not an enthusiastic tourist. Instead, I’d consider myself to be rather a bookworm who is interested in cultural figures and events throughout the history of Košice - that’s the phenomenon of the Kron School of Art. In 2013, Košice became the European Capital of Culture, and the Art Film International Film Festival takes place here every year...

Your work is fantastic and should definitely be known by audiences beyond the Czech and Slovak borders. Do you have any dreams or goals you'd like to achieve? What should art lovers beyond our countries know about Martin Moflar?

I would like to move from renting a studio to greater independence and owning the space where I work. It would also be good to have the opportunity to collaborate with curators interested in showing my work abroad. However, they should know that I don't speak English. But my wife does :).

So, let’s say we got someone really excited about your work. Where should one go to see your works or purchase them?

That’s easy. Follow me on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/martin.moflar/ or look up my work in a gallery: https://www.thinkfeelart.com/martin-moflar

And because I think the young art scene in Slovakia and the Czech Republic is really cool, are there any places and local artistic colleagues whose work you like and who we should all know about?

Artists like Mária Bartuszová, Adam Szentpétery, Eva Moflárová, Marian Straka

There is never enough support for the arts. What would you wish for our art scene to further develop and thrive?

I would wish for more gallery owners in Košice who would be able to help artists and promote their work abroad. And more daring collectors in Slovakia.

And finally, I always enjoy learning about the person I'm talking to. Would you play this rapid-fire question game with me?

Morning coffee or tea? Coffee.

Mountains or the sea? My studio!

Dog or cat? Dog

When I am not working, I am… reading a book or watching a movie.

I seek inspiration in…. art shows

A weekend well spent is… time with my kids and my wife.

My next trip will be…. Florence, according to my wife :)

Thank you! It was a pleasure to chat with you. And for those of you who are now intrigued about Martin’s work, give him a follow or make that special trip to Kosice to see his work. It is spectacular and you won’t regret it!

All images here are with the kind permission of Martin Moflar.

A JOURNEY INTO THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF DIGITAL ART

Is it still art if it’s mostly digitally generated? With AI bursting onto the art and design scene and changing how designers around the world do their work I have been pondering that question. How do you assess an image? How much of the artist’s idea has gone into the image and how much of it has been dreamt up by the machine? No easy answers here. And, judging by the heavy discourse around this topic, answers that are not coming any time soon.

So, I finally abandoned the academic thinking and decided to share one of the artists I recently discovered and whose work caught my eye - thanks to, you guessed it - IG algorithm. It may not be Mona Lisa but it is something that is sure to brighten my day, and that means something. Here he is - and I hope you enjoy his colorful and playful work as much as I do.

Franck Gerard, according to his own website, is a self-taught French visual artist who lives and works in Angers, France. Building on his own computer graphics background, he started to showcase his personal vector graphics work on Instagram in 2020 and quickly built a strong following. Dipping into his passions - art in all its forms, architecture, fashion and technology - for inspiration, he explores multiple digital techniques to create art: vector illustration, digital painting, manipulated photography, 3d, artificial intelligence and computer coding. The resulting artworks are "retro-futuristic." His inspiration? Frank Stella, François Morellet, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Vassily Kandinsky, Donald Judd, Yves Klein, Andy Warhol. Some pretty big names in the art world!

Franck initially caught my eye with his “la fille en jeune” series of simple, minimalist architectural structures inhabited by a single female figure. Solitary, yes, but also somehow optimistic given the bright and cheerful color palette.

From then on, I have followed and appreciated his colorful reinterpretations of Piet Mondrian, his futuristic headdresses, face paints or Pucci-esque clothing that is bursting with color. Most recently, his “ghost” series has been interesting to watch.

So, as we get closer to the end of the year, set your own thoughts about what constitutes “true” art and just enjoy this playful collection. I sure do. Franck’s art is accessible at his instagram.

Have fun!