B E H I N D 

T H E W A L L



Ref: CSM library: Avant Garde photography in Czechoslovakia,
Kicken Berlin-
Behind walls -Eastern Europe before
and beyond 1989 - Marxism for beginners
Internet: zena.sme.sk - Pinterest- history.com - lidovky.cz
- wikipedia
Another: Family photo album archive, Design museum London,
interview with parents and grandparents


After Berlin wall was build in 1948, Europe has split into Eastern and Western block.
February 1948- Czechoslovakia- winning communist party takes power, Czechoslovakia is becoming a single-party state
The response from the West was quick but hardly decisive. Both the United and Great Britain denounced the communist seizure of power in Czechoslovakia, but neither took any direct action.

FACTORY /behind the wall- csm library

-pioneers
-lack of clothes, everything made in S U., synthetic materials, anything from West- forbidden- jeans,...
-knitted sweaters, geometric patterns, 
-1st May parade 
- everyone has to work
- skoda 1000 - car made in Czechoslovakia
- Spartakiad 
- invasion of Soviet army in 1968
- carnation flower
 
If statements or decisions deviated from the described line, reprimands and (for persons outside public attention) punishment would ensue, such as imprisonment, torture and even death.
This was including art and literature as well.

M O O D B O A R D

typical carnation flower/ blesk.cz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O C C U P A T I O N
August 21st 1968
- Approximately 250,000 Warsaw pact troops attacked Czechoslovakia overnight
- 108 Czechoslovakian civilians were killed and around 500 wounded in the invasion

LADISLAV BIELIK - AUGUST 68

 

 

Going through Ladislav Bielik' s photo collection of August 68, I had goosebumps . For me personally, it is quiet interesting and terrifying to imagine that Soviet Occupation happened when my parent where just small kids.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M I L A N   P A S T E K A

- prohibited artist
- figurative drawings and painting ,
- relationship between space and people, how space shape us
Ref: google images, soga.sk

3 figures/ google images

 

 

1st M A Y P A R A D E

On May the 1st, everyone was supposed to go for a parade.
This includes communist party, all working men and women, and kids from kinder garden to university students. People would wave with Czechoslovakian and Soviet Flag celebrating National Day of Work.

INSPIRATION
When it comes to flags, I have recently found some artwork by Jasper Jones. The way he interprets American 'White flag' is somehow mysterious for me. Flags + their essence, movement....


ABOUT JOHN JASPER/Ref WIKI:
Johns' treatment of the surface is often lush and painterly; he is famous for incorporating such media as encaustic and plaster relief in his paintings. Johns played with and presented opposites, contradictions, paradoxes and ironies.

Jasper Jones- Map / google images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M O V I E    R E F E R E N C E S 

- despite of many useful informations from my parents about how was it to live in Socialist Czechoslovakia, I have decided to watch some movies to get a better understanding

PELISKY

 T e a c h e r
- plot: showing how bizarre the system /at school as well/ was
- manipulation, blackmailing , using connection of the Party to get pretty much anything

While watching this movie I realised , that my teacher at Primary School was just like the main character in this movie. Old communist even though it was more than 14 years after the Velvet Revolution, that means that I was never living in Socialist Czechoslovakia. I am going to use my own school experience and family archives pictures in this project .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F A M  I L Y     A R CH I V E
-looking for a muse

MY FATHERS AND AUNTS ROOM

FAMILY FLAT - INTERIOR


R e a c t i o n - c o l l a g e 



 

 

 

 

C O L L E C T I N G  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I C O N I C   D E S I G N

M A D E   I N   C Z E C H O S L O V A K I A 

REF: ostblok.sk , family archive

vacum cleaner by Stanislav Lachman/ Tiger 808

Lion toy by Libuse Niklova

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrej Barcik- act / soga.sk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V L A D I M I R
K O M P A N E K 

- another prohibited artist by the Party
- reminding me of Basquiat
- the painting have playful lines, almost looking like drawings made by children. Although there is something dark, emotion of the era captured in it.

Ref: soga.sk

'fasiangy '- carnival celebration

 

 

 

 

 

 

J E A N  M I C H A E L  B A S Q U I A T 


- American
- looking like graffiti, street art, very free-minded paintings, collages, illustrations
- using various methods and medias
- very strong signature of work
- masks, demons, saints, social themes, cultural studies, portraits, including letters, keywords, graphics

Ref: Basquiat - brooklyn museum/ library

asbestos/ google images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







K N I T T I N G 

introducing new textile production technique- knit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

w o r k i n g w o m e n

berlin wall/ google images

PIONEERS

Pioneer Organisation
of the Socialist Youth Union was a youth Marxist-Leninist organisation in communist Czechoslovakia. The organisation proclaimed the group was voluntary, but the joining of every child from six years old was expected.
Activities:
- creating a poster wall praising the Soviet Union and socialist life in general.
- reciting poems in various communist festivals.
- old paper or herb collecting described as “voluntary help for Czechoslovak industry.” Collecting was a nationwide competition. The winning pioneer team got a prize, a focus of mass media and it was a great reference for their later career life.
- receiving badges for different activities serving Soviet community> collecting
- uniforms - red neckerchiefs , blue shirts, trousers/skirts




shape development

Inspire magazine- retro edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L A D I S L A V

  B I E L I K 

“Where is the photo, where are the negatives?”.   Ladislav Bielik was blacklisted – unable to work in a country where work is mandatory.  He pleaded with the local authorities to allow him to regain his livelihood, support his wife and two sons.  Ironically, outside of Bratislava, the photo was attributed to Peter Lutz, other names, or to no one at all.  Locally, it was known to be the works of Bielik and the consequences of this knowledge were destroying his life, shackling his career.

PROPAGANDA, sme.sk

anonymous / reaction on Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union / sme.sk

 

 

 

 

 

E V E L Y N

B E N C I C O V A 

- Slovak photographer
- capturing cold and geometric universe, populated by clones and disturbing characters. Inspired by real life under the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the photographer seeks to illustrate the living conditions at that time and their direct repercussions on art and architecture, but also on individuals






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

PROPAGANDA, sme.sk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P e l i s k y
- iconic image, shot in 1998
- tells a story about love, lack of freedom, different characters
- except the plot, we can observe typical 'innovative' goods from Soviet Czechoslovakia  - displays lovely interiors and fashion and hairstyles from that era 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tesla Talisman by Igor Didov/ family archive

Minitesla by Boris Rozman

Stanislav Lachman , Eta 211

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A N D R E J

B A R C I K


- compositions of industrial design products
- very geometrical and technical
- reminds me of Paul Klee 
- lovely colour palette, contrast


''zatisie so solnickou'' / soga.sk

 

 

 

 

 

 

'fasiangy '- carnival celebration

Kompanek Vladimir/ kidnapping/ soga.sk

 

 

 

 

1960/ self-portrait / google images

Ref: Basquiat - brooklyn museum/ library