Ishvara – a male figure, in ancient Indian philosophy The God of All Gods. With the sculpture, I opened up a “male” theme for myself (until then I had been depicting mainly female figures). A figural composition that shows a male figure, rising to the heavens, but at the same time striking his right hand symbolically into a steel base (the symbolism of the earth – iron). It remains up to the viewer whether he wants to perceive the motif as creation or destruction. The inspiration for the composition is both in the actual yoga position, but also in the work of William Blake (In the ancient days). The apparent purity of the forms refers in part to 19th-century classicism, but also to later work, especially in Germany in the 1930s-40s. A black version of the sculpture is also in preparation. However, everything should be taken with a certain degree of irony. I would like to realize the statue in larger-than-life-size sometime in the future.

photo: Ondřej Smolka

The sculpture is the culmination of the Ishvara trilogy (series), which I have been working on since 2018. The entire cycle focuses on the ancient Indian concept of the God of all gods. At the same time, it ironically refers to 19th century classicism and the rise of 20th century dictatorships. Ishvara II was created as the (so far) last part and represents the motif of the architect and the principle of sustainability.

Photos: Ondřej Smolka – Galerie Kaple