Bohuslav Vašulka, co-founder of video art, has passed away

Brno - At the age of 82, co-founder of electronic audiovisual art and video art Bohuslav Woody Vašulka passed away on December 20 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. This was confirmed today by Tomáš Ruller, chairman of the Vašulka Kitchen Brno association. The association documents and remembers the work of Brno native Vašulka and his wife Steina, as well as their influence on the youngest generations of contemporary artists.

Vašulka was born in 1937 in Brno-Slatina, studied at a secondary industrial school in Brno, and then at FAMU in Prague in the field of film and television documentary production. At FAMU, he directed and created several short films. In the 1960s, together with his wife, who comes from Iceland, he moved to the United States, where they explored the artistic potential of electronic audiovisual media and also focused on the possibilities of interaction between humans and technology. In 1971, they co-founded the legendary studio The Kitchen in New York. They also engaged in research experimental work at the University of Buffalo and then settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"This is a loss not only for Czech contemporary art but also for the world. He was one of the few global personalities in art who came from here," Ruller stated.

According to him, Vašulka is not adequately appreciated in the domestic environment, which is why the Center for New Media Art was established in Brno last year, named after the Vašulkas. The center's goal is to map and commemorate the work of Brno native Vašulka and his wife Steina, while also inspiring contemporary artists. The center has acquired selected works and part of the Vašulkas' digital archive, containing a wealth of documentation not only about their work but also about global art in new technologies and its development. It consists of a study room and two exhibition spaces and has found a home in the House of Arts in Brno.

Last year, during the opening of the center, Vašulka spoke about himself to journalists as someone who does not understand the changes in the world very well anymore, and he finds his own work from past decades distant. However, he emphasized the importance of his wife as a companion and artist. Steina Vašulková mentioned the sentimental relationship both spouses have with Brno - according to her, they found an appreciative audience there and also talented students during their time at the Faculty of Fine Arts.