Jindra Viková – Madonna mia: A Retrospective Exhibition of Femininity and Motherhood

This selective retrospective exhibition, 'Madonna mia', explores Jindra Viková's interpretation of femininity, motherhood, and human emotionality. It examines the Madonna figure not as a religious symbol, but as a universal image of a woman across different life stages, disrupting traditional iconography with a contemporary message.

The exhibition "Madonna mia" delves into Jindra Viková's long-standing artistic perceptions of femininity, motherhood, and human emotionality. The title itself carries a subtle ambiguity, suggesting both an intimate, personal connection to the Madonna and an exclamation of intense feeling. Viková utilizes the Madonna as a departure point to explore the universal image of a woman in various life situations – as a young girl, a mother, or an aging figure, embodying experiences of love, care, vulnerability, strength, doubt, and defiance. Viková's "Madonnas" often subvert traditional iconography, infusing them with contemporary relevance. They can represent women facing daily pressures, mothers balancing personal and maternal roles, or symbols of deeper connection. The artist masterfully employs a visual language that balances straightforwardness with hyperbole, using humor to offer a liberating perspective for reinterpretation. Her works are simultaneously touching and ironic, noble and ordinary, reflecting a characteristic playfulness that allows for an open and unprejudiced embrace of her themes. The exhibition showcases a diverse range of techniques, primarily highlighting Viková's renowned ceramic sculptures, which convey fragility, solidity, intuition, and precision. Her use of ceramic and porcelain captures figures that appear both archaic and contemporary, holding memories of past cultures while reacting to the present. Beyond ceramics, Viková is also known for her intermedia art, including watercolours, photograms, and assemblages, as well as linear spatial drawings made of wire and found objects. Techniques like finger drawing offer immediacy and physical contact with the material, each medium providing a distinct visual perception and a unique way to convey her thematic concerns.

Admission for the exhibition is CZK 80 for full price and CZK 40 for concession. The provided ticket link appears to be for a different exhibition.