Klára Sedlo – Fantastic and Magical

Prague painter Klára Sedlo is presenting herself for the first time in České Budějovice this year – in Artovna. It is not only an exhibition premiere, but also a literary one.

Klára's work, which is on the border of symbolism, surrealism and magical realism, reflects the mysteries of the human subconscious, dreams and the multi-layered psychology of man. The paraphrase of the title of the important book by Vladimír Vondráček and František Holub – Fantastic and Magical from the Point of View of Psychiatry – is therefore not accidental, since the "fantastic and magical" form a significant part of Klára's sources of inspiration.

The opening will also feature the very first comprehensive monograph The Fantastic and Magical through the Eyes of Klára Sedlo, which mirrors the wide thematic diversity of Klára's work. Apart from a biographical and introductory passage, it is divided into 33 chapters, which follow individual themes in a historical context: symbols of religion, faith and various sacred cults, magical objects – fetishes, protective amulets and talismans, and last but not least, supernatural beings – figures of folklore from various parts of the world, not only from the world of myths, legends and fairy tales, but also those falling under the so-called cryptozoology. In addition to the basic characteristics of the phenomenon, each chapter is always accompanied by a reproduction of one of Klára's works that reflects or directly depicts the theme in some way, including the context of its creation. 

The author of the book and the curator of the exhibition is Lukáš F. Peluněk.