A solo exhibition of the work of renowned Czech artist Magdalena Jetelová will go on view at the Czech Center New York beginning September 13, 2013. Titled Multiplication of Horizons, the spatial installation is being presented in celebration of the 5th anniversary of the renovation of Bohemian National Hall–the historic building that houses the Czech Center New York, the Czech Consulate General, and the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association (BBLA). The exhibition will remain on view through October 31, 2013.
Multiplication of Horizons is comprised of two installations. The first, titled (Des)Orientation?, features a large, mirrored panel that creates a disorienting perspective of the surroundings. Through the dissolution of reality, it is intended to raise questions about our history, our future, and about developing a better understanding of our place in the world.
The second installation, The Iceland Project, provides the viewer with an opportunity to look inside the Earth. The work presents a line of light crossing Iceland that suggests evidence of the geological divide between Europe and America. While the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is more than 9,000 miles long, the ridge is visible only in the north of Iceland in a cleft called Ingvellir. Through the use of a laser beam, Jetelová reveals this cleft and provides an opportunity to see evidence of the ongoing changes on Earth.
Born in Semily, Czechoslovakia, in 1946, Magdalena Jetelová is an internationally-renowned multi-media artist who lives and works in Munich, Düsseldorf, and Prague. Known for her monumental wooden sculptures and for her innovative installations that utilize such technologies as the laser beam, her work addresses historical, cultural, and ecological questions through the mystification and confusion of the mind and senses. Jetelová’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum des 20 in Jahrhunderts, Vienna; and the Tate Britain. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of many museums including the Hirschhorn Museum, Washington; the Pompidou Centre, Paris; and the Ludwig Collection. From 1990 until 2004, Jetelová was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. Since 2004, she has been teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. She has also been a visiting professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague since 2008.
Bohemian National Hall is a five-story building designed by William C. Frohne in the Renaissance Revival style and built in 1896. It is a rare survivor of the many social halls that were constructed in the nineteenth century for New York City’s immigrant ethnic communities. The Hall has been an important center for Czech and Slovak culture in New York City for more than one hundred years. Since its beginning it has served as a focal point for the community, offering ethnic food, Czech language and history classes as well as a space to meet and hold events. Today, Bohemian National Hall is a significant reminder of the working-class ethnic enclave that once flourished in Yorkville and stands as a monument to an important aspect of the history of immigrants in New York City and the United States.
Established in 1995, the Czech Center New York (CC NY) is a meeting place for Czech and local culture, a place where artists and professionals, Czech and non-Czech alike, can get to know each other and share their work. While the Center’s focus is on contemporary Czech artists, the organization is committed to the support of new international projects and is a welcoming place for all ideas that address current cultural or social issues.