The exhibition of Júlia Piačková and Igor Piačka: Tiger and Rat is connected with the presentation of the poetry collection of the debuting author Juraj Žembera: ”Právo každej noci (Claim Of Every Night)”, which is published in the publishing house Ex Tempore. This book is illustrated by both of these artists. As Ľubomír Feldek says about this poetry collection, Juraj Žembera did not hurry with the publishing of it and gave his manuscript mature shape. He has made in his poetry a complete poetical world, where are dominated human values, especially the love to the woman from ”that is no way back”. We can find here the motives of harmonically relationship, as well as tormenting situations of investigating the own internal world. Žembera connected them into the artistic original shape. What he finds under the sediment of obvious, are often very startling facts (and not about himself).

            The newest artefacts – graphics, paintings and drawings from the ateliers of the Piačka´s family are exhibited on the incidental exhibition besides the illustrations used in the book. They are close with the main idea of the book – women, love to the woman and the theme of relationship between people, for example Júlia  Piačková: You Are All Around (2005,oil painting, canvas), Igor Piačka: Humility (2004, etching, dry point, mezzotint).

            The exhibition is divided into two rooms, and every one belongs to one of the artist It is because both of the artists have their own look on the world around them and their depicting, and telling the truth, from woman’s and man’s perceiving the world is different, but at the same time in the balance. As the Chinese believe, it is thank to dynamic powers of jin and jang. Jin is the woman’s principle, watery and cold, connected with the Moon and jang is the man’s principle, strong and hot, connected with the influence of the Sun and the Earth.

            It is not by the chance, that I speak about the Chinese perceiving of the world. One of the exhibited artwork is the painting Tiger and Rat (2005, oil painting, canvas), which is a common work of Júlia and Igor Piačka. The tittle of it is derived from the signs from the Chinese horoscope and that is why I speak about. In accordance with Chinese horoscope is Júlia the Rat, who is valued as a reliable college and a nice and elegant partner and Igor is the Tiger, who is courageous but vulnerable and he wants to be admired.

            Chinese astrology is 5000 years old and it is a prophetic art, which tells about the character and the destiny of a man in accordance to the moon years. Every of the twelve years has got the name of one animal. In accordance with a legend, Buddha called one day animals to him, but only twelve of them came to him immediately: rat, buffalo, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and at the end pig. Every one get an year, to give into it his character.

            Tiger and Rat is only the thirth common picture of J. and I. Piačka. It is not peculiar, as to make a common painting of two independent artists is very difficult and it is a question of a compromise, when everyone has to go away from his own artistic seeing and feeling. And when we have a look into the Chinese horoscope  we can read, that the Tigers can convince the Rat by theirs affection. But they want to dominate and the Rat can only hardly retreat – and this is a very difficult co-operation.

            Júlia Piačková studied textile design and originally she was engaged in textile art work and made the tapestries. She gradually has been interested in the graphics techniques, drawing and painting and she has used combined techniques too. It might be stated, that her work is very manifold. That is why her art works made by different techniques are presented on this exhibition. Their connecting point is the figural motive, mostly a wife figure, floating or swimming at the abstract background, for example Cocoon (2005, oil painting, paper maché), Woman with a Birth (watercolour, paper).

            Igor Piačka, as a absolving student of Brunovský special class was originally mostly engaged into the graphics production and illustrations. Today the painting is an inseparable part of his art production. He uses different painting mediums in his paintings, for example he combines the technique of oil painting with the drawing, for example the Girl with the Mirror II (2005, oil painting, canvas), or ”sculptural” procedures, when he brings on the canvas a layer of the plaster and pushes in different objects, for example I Love My Car II (2005, oil painting, canvas). Of course here are exhibited his graphics works.

            As it has been already said, this exhibition completes the presentation of the book of the poetry ”Právo každej noci (Claim Of Every Night)”. As it follows from the title of he book the topic is about the relationships, and it is the topic of the art production of Júlia and Igor Piačka as well.

Mgr. Viera Radziwill-Anoškinová

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