SUZUKI
1984Fabric on copper rod202 x 123 x 6 cmSUZUKI (1984, see p. 85) hangs like a picture on the wall, though being a banner it is actually a three-dimensional work. Banners are ensigns and as such signal allegiance and set boundaries. The sculptor Vaclav Pozarek describes this particular work as a banner for everyone. The black and red damask patterned with woven-in lions and bears has a Cyrillic rendition of SUZUKI, the Japanese word for order, appliquéd onto it. By appropriating this foreign word, and in the process referencing the cultural and political systems that shaped his own life story, Pozarek not only addresses and interrogates the function of a standard as a source of orientation but also reminds us, through the high degree of formalization, that art begins there where technical skill and conceptual work combine to create an aesthetic order of their own. The drawing and coloring of the works in the Fassaden series are a form of craftsmanship that requires dexterity, precision, concentration, and stamina. These architectural paraphrases are the quintessence of the various activities that define Pozarek’s art: the photographing of buildings and architectural elements and of works of art in an exhibition, the collecting of photographs, graphic art, books, and documents about the history of art and culture, and the work of a book and exhibition designer. The stonework of this particular Fassade, which is drawn with a colored wash, invests this abstract drawing with an architectural dimension. The free play of light and shade on the individual stones, moreover, adds to the complexity and vitality of its overall appearance, while its self-referentiality underscores its essential autonomy.
Roman Kurzmeyer
