Petr Šťastný↓

About the work

What should people know about your work?

The key theme of my diploma work is instability and the weight of materials, metaphorically representing the psychological pressure placed on people. The weight of matter is focused on a single point and induces pressure which is felt by the viewer. I deliberately select heavy sculptural material such as stone, steel and concrete which I use as a medium for expressing the oppressive emotions that impact individuals in their ordinary lives—feelings induced by financial and social instability, the pressure to perform, stress. The materials selected and transformed into models are metaphorically stronger than people, they hold within them the brutality of nature. The duality of these sculptures is important, representing a reality that has monumental dimensions and a tangible meaning.

How do you see yourself and your work five years from now?

My immediate priority is to set up a studio where I will have the space and the peace and calm necessary for doing my own work and commissions. I would like to present my work in exhibitions and in public space. My aim is to execute monumental sculptures and thus connect to the result of my diploma work. In addition, I’m interested in several themes which I would like to pursue, including, for example, a reaction to the quarrying of marble in Carrara where I was on a study visit, or the topical theme of the plastic contamination of living organisms. I would also like to work as a medallist. I believe that as time progresses my work will develop in such a way as to enable me to express myself as freely as possible.