Anna Polanská & Pavla Vachunová: Before the Stone Blooms

Wird ins Deutsche übersetzt…

The exhibition Before the Stone Blooms brings together the work of Anna Polanská and Pavla Vachunová, two artists whose paths converge in an intuitive relationship to material, craftsmanship, and landscape—both the real landscape and the inner landscape, preserved in memories, experiences, and images from childhood. Anna Polanská’s work has long focused on the human figure set within a landscape that emerges from both real memories and dreamlike visions. In her objects, reliefs, and vases, she works primarily with blown, cast, and fused glass, gradually revealing the final form through grinding and engraving. Her process is intuitive: compositions emerge directly from the material itself, based on loose sketches. She repeatedly sands and reworks her pieces until the lines, surfaces, and shapes come together to form an image capable of conveying a feeling, a memory, or a quiet thought. For Pavla Vachunová , clay has become her primary medium. This material, which is initially soft and malleable and takes on its final form through the action of fire, allows her to capture her initial ideas and inner experiences. In her work with clay, all the elements—earth, water, fire, and air—come together symbolically. Starting from her ceramic and porcelain creations, her work naturally extends to drawing, painting, photography, video, and sculpture. After years of working independently, both artists have discovered that their themes return to a similar source: personal experience with the landscape and with people as its inseparable parts. They are united by friendship, an intuitive approach to their work, a willingness to experiment, and a firm grounding in craftsmanship, patience, and a sculptural approach to form. At the same time, each remains true to her own material world. Flowers bloom on Pavla Vachunová’s porcelain vases, their stems, leaves, and blossoms emerging in the delicate textures of the surface. Similarly, engraved lines and organic motifs appear in Anna Polanská’s glasswork. Glass and porcelain coexist in these newly emerging collaborative works as two equal voices. They neither compete with nor overlap one another. They complement and interpenetrate, creating a shared space where two artistic paths converge—two experiences of landscape, material, and memory. Before the Stone Blooms is their silent dialogue. Architectural Design: Radka Vyplašilová, Max Berdych Visuals: Bohouš Pospíšil (photo), Matúš Buranovský (graphic design) Collaboration: Marcela Straková, Tereza Pinkasová Special Thanks: Jakub Berdych Karpelis