MAGIC OF THE FOREST
Felix Jenewein Gallery in Kutná Hora
2021
curator © Aleš Rezler
Few contemporary artists in the field of graphic art display such fanaticism and dedication to the formal aspects of their work as Lenka Falušiová. Compared to her, I can think of only one equivalent in the person of Michal Cihlář, who has been demonstrating similar dedication for years in the field of color linocut. Obviously, this is a way to gain a permanent and unmissable place on the contemporary scene.
We will probably place the emphasis mainly on the word drawing, which is a discipline requiring the absolute foundation of everything that makes someone an artist. First and foremost, the ability to pay attention, be perceptive, concentrate, and, in the deepest sense of the word, have a philosophical view of what is being depicted. Also, a desire to understand all the connections and relationships, not only the obvious ones, but also the hidden ones. Lenka Falušiová has gone so far as to study esoteric literature, and thus, not only through drawing, but also through her thoughts, she strives to uncover the deepest contents of nature's hidden secrets.
In the vast majority of cases, an artist's childhood and the age at which their views on everything around them are formed play the most important role in shaping their opinions. Lenka Falušiová was born in Vrbno pod Pradědem and was therefore close to the mountainous landscape of the Jeseníky Mountains, where she drew her first inspiration. She has now moved to the Posázaví region, which offers a similarly rich landscape. From the way she chooses her themes and visual details, it is clear that she does not deal with landscape views as a whole, but is absolutely absorbed by the detail and depth of the internal structure of plant organisms.
Perhaps we will understand more if we quote the author: "The forest scenery is full of structures, tension between order and chaos – this is the inspiration for me from the landscape where I come from, the Jeseníky Mountains. It is a melancholic, mysterious, and quiet landscape. I perceive this silence as emotional and intangible, its touch is one of the main moments of my paintings. The visible arises from the manifestation of the invisible, the impenetrable forest is full of twilight, in which the details of the branches emerge from the darkness into the light. The space I see has no boundaries; the monumental whole, full of tremulous details, becomes an intense contemplation, almost "in detail" – but it is precisely this microscopic "insignificance" that opens the gate to the perception of the whole, of the universe. It was only through frequent wanderings in the woods and observing them that I gradually began to perceive the inner chaos they evoke as order. It was almost as if I had acquired a kind of inner vision, a secret key to understanding. If the darkness is calm, the light will move – this is also the title of one of my graphic prints. For me, the shape of matter is an imprint of memory and feeling. In the solitude of the landscape, I learn to see sharply into the distance, to harmonize with the pulse of nature and breathe in its rhythm. The more time I devote to these forest motifs, the more the essence of place and time penetrates them. I am fascinated by the tension between genius loci and imagem loci. I find their link in objects, in stones, trees, flowers, in every living organism. It is essential to perceive their space of existence. To tune in to the power of silence, to the necessary inner peace. At such moments, I feel that everything is connected and that I am part of the whole.
The exhibition Magic of the Forest captures a selection of the author's work mainly from 2017-2020, but we can also find older works from 2014. In addition to graphic prints, which are dominated by larger formats such as Space (2020), for which she won the Graphic Art of the Year 2020 award, and the etching In the Silence of Rocks (2019), the excellent ink drawings on canvas, such as the monumental work Imperceptible Worlds (2020) and the contemplative Sensory Space (2021).
