What is your graduation work about??

I drew inspiration for my work from my native Moravian Slovakia, so specific in its mentality, culture, peculiarities, and problems. Its central figure is Staňa Tománek, a typical representative of the region through whom I tell about the local landscape and contemporary life affected by climate problems. It is fascinating to observe the man and his way of life at eighty-five, sharply contrasting with the present time. He leads an active life above average. No crisis can surprise him; he is always part of cultural and sporting events and is perfectly capable of thought-provoking dialogues with young people. He is proud of his region and its nature, unfortunately suffering from drought and natural disasters. These problems negatively impact the lives of the locals. Staňa realizes it when hiding from the current tropical temperatures in his basement at night. I treat my subject via a film that may give a vivid picture of the oldster’s life and his view of the world. At the same time, the film captures the moment when I confront Staňa with my questions based on my leftist, ecological, and socially critical positions. The Good Old Staňa Tománek builds on my earlier works primarily focused on social issues.

What do you do besides your graduation work??

Besides my graduation work, I am now finishing illustrations for the book Haloklina by Jakub Strouhal. I am also working on exhibitions, artist residencies, and other collaborations. In addition, I am preparing to teach art education in elementary school. And I am also planning to relax!

In what conditions would you like to work on your graduation work??

An ideal would be to have a magical empathic wand to realize an artwork instantly. Or at least have elves help me at a fair-trade price. In return, I would help them engage in a trade union or save them from the dragon and greedy colonialist tourists.

What would you imagine to be an alternative culmination of your studies at AVU, in place of the defense of your graduation work?

It would be nice to complete the studies with summer camaraderie of students from all the studios. We would meet without stress. And we would do projects, events, and works that would be the outcome of studying at AVU. Something of a big summer holiday.