Dílna Mikulov - Art symposium
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Man is a thoughtful creature. He has a soul in order to feel and the gift to talk to others. But inanimate objects can enrich our lives too – be it everyday use objects or works of art which are also part of a man's life. Without them, life would be empty; we would not know the words culture, aesthetics, and beauty. The Mikulov „Workshop“ is an annual proof of this. Mikulov is a splendid place not only for the locals but also for anyone who has ever stopped here. The town has its history and art is part of it, just like heart is part of man. We must therefore all be pleased that the local beauty is protected not only by the older generation, but mainly by young people, who are not indifferent to the future of this beautiful town. Thank you all.

MUDr. Ivo Koneš
Mayor of Mikulov

„We love art and remain humble“
Pericles

„I’m just reading and leafing through a book. I leaf through it and jump from line to line and from paragraph to paragraph: „In the light of an objective critical judgment…“, uh huh, objective criticism – that sounds interesting. And I go on reading: „….which can be made today, his plans have remained to be limited to just wishful thinking exactly because they were not fed enough with an effort for expression, because he lacked internal development. Modigliani only repeated his plans instead of making them come true.“ That last sentence ……..he only repeated his plans instead of making them come true. Depressing……“repeated, but did not make them come true.“ I'm thinking about my own work. No, I definitely do not repeat myself in painting. Maybe in themes, but hopefully not in form, at least I hope so. „Did not make come true“, I’m still here and can do it, if I haven’t done that yet. Of course I also think about the fact that I’m one of the driving forces of one of the Czech fine art symposia, called „Workshop“. Inside any mechanism where people work, something comes true, emerges and is repeated. Screws, water wheel blades, violins, statues, paintings, simply value, simply a company. Money, work, product, money. At the end, joy of product and money. During the past four years (I‘m purposely using the plural here) we have worked very hard. Year by year we made more and more products (of the artistic kind). In 1994 we dug the imaginary plough. The artistic edge of the 1980s dug out a giant furrow into the 1990s. It can be used for planting and trying new strains. „Only repeated and …“ Yes, it is quite possible that I let things to be repeated in an almost conservative way. I love certain fundaments, clear rules, but not the limiting ones, but the free ones – the ones that can be built on. Hopefully we have managed to do that (I am again purposely using the plural). To take roots, make the company more visible and make a good product. Sometimes it is not necessary to change many things on it, but sometimes it is useful. And I go on reading the next paragraph: „He was not a genius, but his personality, his position and his contribution to the tumultuous period of European avant-garde in the first forty years of the 20th century, will keep the unique character of new plans.“ (Lo and behold!). „And the fact that we, his descendants, contemplate how much of himself Modigliani wasted, is only our own complaint.“ (There you go.).

Respectfully, Libor Lípa
Guarantor, MAS „Workshop“ ´97


PS: I would only like to remind you that the statutes of the Mikulov Art Symposium, i. e. the constitution of this mechanism, read as follows: The curator of the symposium is an artist participating in the previous symposium, who expresses his interest in this function and is selected by other participating artists at the latest by the end of the year in which the previous symposium was held. The curator suggests the participants of the symposium, which are then approved by the advisory committee. The curator supervises the respecting of the symposium statutes by all participants. The curator is the spiritual and working initiator, suggests and provides the project of the installation of the closing presentation exhibition. The curator suggests the curator for the following year, picked from the participants of the current symposium. So, hope to see you again in 1998.