The Baroque rotunda of the Květná Garden will illuminate with the lights of modern art

Zlín - German artist Stanislav Vajce will create a provocative connection between baroque frescoes and modern art this summer in the rotunda of the Květná Garden in Kroměříž. The artist, originally from Kroměříž and now living in Munich, is known for his paintings made up of points of light or panels. Music or sound is an integral part of his exhibitions. The exhibition Actis Effector (Created by Light) will open in June and is expected to be one of the highlights of this year's tourist season in the city.
    "We believe that many visitors will come because a similar exhibition has not been held in the Czech Republic so far. I think that the combination of modern technology with ancient architecture will attract young people as well," said Eva Nováková, chairwoman of the Kroměříž UNESCO Club, which co-organizes the exhibition. Visitors will see 11 unconventional exhibits. Two of them were created specifically for Kroměříž by Vajce, who is a trained aircraft mechanic and a graduate of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts.
    "No artist would refuse to hold an exhibition in the rotunda of the Květná Garden. It is a huge honor for me," said the 37-year-old artist. According to him, people who saw the rotunda before his exhibition will experience it in a completely different way this summer, thanks to LED panels, LCD screens, computer-controlled objects, and sound installations. Vajce works with light, the movement of objects in space, animated revitalization of sculptures, or artistic symbols that enhance the significance of this UNESCO-listed monument.
    People will see, for example, an unusual portrait of the rotunda's founder, Bishop Karl II. Lichtenstein, LED paintings, or LED clocks. During the exhibition, the undergoing repair of the Foucault pendulum will be replaced by mobile objects rotating towards the light of a bulb, symbolizing the absurd human pursuit of wealth and power. According to Vajce, the exhibition will never be the same; it will always be shaped by the visitors themselves.
    "With my exhibits, it is important that the viewer is active. If they are passive, they only get half of what is in that sculpture. When they start to play with it, when they try to get closer to it, they gain more than if they just look. Some sculptures even play with them. The utilization of the exhibition's potential thus depends on the activity of its viewers. I can imagine that when a whole class from a primary school fills the rotunda, it will blink entirely from the outside," Vajce added.
    The Actis Effector exhibition will be on display in Kroměříž from June 5 to August 26. It follows the large interactive exhibition Orbis Pictus, which was visited by more than 20,000 viewers in the summer of 2007.