Ockham's Razor

The opening of the exhibition Ockham’s Razor marked the conclusion of the Mikulov Art Symposium “Dílna”.

For one month, symposium participants had the opportunity to work on the grounds of Mikulov Castle and create more than fifty works of art, 14 of which were added to the town’s art collection. Most of these works explored the possibilities of minimalism, geometry, and other forms of reductive art, a theme reflected in the symposium’s title itself—Ockham’s Razor. This refers to the principle of logical economy and the effort to achieve a result using only the necessary means of expression and form. Despite the austerity inherent in the symposium’s theme, the overall result is very diverse and serves as a visually powerful message.

The symposium’s chief curator, Milan Mikuláštík, invited a group of artists with whom he has long collaborated to participate. What unites them all is the fact that they are among the leading figures of the Czech art scene and work with geometry and abstraction in interesting ways, thereby significantly revitalizing the significance of these artistic forms.

It is evident from the resulting works that they were created in a harmonious atmosphere, right on site, within the premises of Mikulov Castle. Many of them respond to the castle’s architecture and the very genius loci of Mikulov, while also fearlessly addressing contemporary political and social issues.

The symposium itself also included a series of cultural events in which the participants actively took part. For example, as part of the Mikulov Writers’ Residency, a poetry reading was held featuring Jiří Valoch, the symposium’s guest of honor. Another important part of the event was the Open Studios Day, during which the public had the opportunity to gain insight into the process of creating the final exhibition.

Participants: Jana Bernartová, Petr Dub, Cyril Jakubička, Václav Krůček, Milan Mikuláštík, Jan Nálevka, Alžběta Říhová, Daniel Vlček
Special guests: Jiří Valoch, Stanislav Zámečník, Liliia Dorovska
Curators: Milan Mikuláštík, Jana Písaříková