An exhibition by the winner of the 15th annual art competition Our Gallery, titled With My Head, presents a collection of textile objects. Zuzana Paterová Viková’s work straddles the boundaries of object art, installation, and conceptual art. In her works, the artist draws on the everyday reality she experiences and subsequently processes it through textile materials.

In this exhibition, she focuses on the process of human imagination and perception—the transformation of thoughts, perspectives, and the relationship between the external world and the inner space of the individual. In the artist’s conception, the head functions as a “radar” or “control unit” that absorbs surrounding stimuli and, through the imagination, transforms them into new forms. She compares this process to “effervescent tablets in water,” that is, to an active ingredient that alters human consciousness. The unifying element of the entire exhibition is textile material, to which the artist returns as a distinct sculptural medium. Its malleability, softness, and unpredictability allow her to create organic objects that give the impression of “swelling.”

The exhibition is divided into several thematic cycles. Viewers can observe it from multiple angles and reflect on how our minds interpret the reality that surrounds us. The objects of black masks exploring the phased growth of form on the human face had long been “shelved.” The announcement of the art competition Our Gallery 2025 on the theme “On the Head” inspired Zuzana Paterová Viková to summarize her work, resulting in a collection of masks titled Courage, Determination, Fantasy, Belonging. The masks are shaped by the wearer and are color-coded.

Kukaně are busts created through a textile modeling process similar to that of the masks. The series Rooms captures an interior space that grows and blooms before one’s eyes. A more abstract approach is represented by Routes – subjective maps of movement within a house. The series Views works with the principle of layering fabrics and resembles the technique of graphic overprinting. Záhony, meanwhile, combines the techniques of fabric cutouts, see-throughs, and stuffed textile objects. The title itself defines growth within a confined space.

Zuzana Paterová Viková (*1987) is an artist and educator working at the Otty Wichterle Secondary School of Applied Arts in Velké Poříčí. From 2012 to 2014, she completed a master’s degree at UMPRUM in Prague (the Concept, Object, Meaning studio led by Eva Eisler). Prior to that, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Faculty of Education at the University of Hradec Králové (2008–2011). She spent her childhood and youth in Rtyně v Podkrkonoší and currently lives in Červený Kostelec. 

Curator: Veronika Ansorge

Venue: GVUN Malá, Španielova Passage, Plhovská 862

The exhibition is freely accessible to visitors 24 hours a day through display cases from the street and the passage. Open during program hours and by prior telephone appointment.