2019
wood, metal, cables

Martina Hozová (born 1971 in Hradec Králové) graduated from the Secondary Technical School of Sculpture and Stonemasonry in Hořice. She then studied sculpture under Karel Nepraš at the Academy of Arts in Prague (1989–1995), followed by a course at Petr Siegl’s studio of art restoration. Since 2012, she has taught at her former school in Hořice. In her artistic production, she focuses on sculpture and on works for architecture and public space. Past realisations include a fountain commemorating Sophie Chotek (with Jan Paclík), which was unveiled near
Prague’s Písek Gate in 2019.

In terms of both technique and subject matter, Profiles is a typical example of Hozová’s figural work, which tends to focus on people, heads, and reliefs. Hozová combines industrial objects such as cables and plumbing elements with traditional sculptural materials (metal, wood, plaster, etc.). This work’s subject matter is a reference to her long-term interest in the subject of interpersonal communication in today’s era of extreme technological acceleration. Working in the spirit of the Czech Grotesque and with a sense of irony and hyperbole, she comments on alienation and miscommunication – unwanted side products of the sharing of information on social networks. Similarly, the distinctive colours of Profiles reflect the resentment, acrimony, or even aggressiveness that often accompany fast-paced online communication. More than ever, Profiles resonates with our “Matrix”-like era in which the coronavirus pandemic has led people to meet online more than in person.