Sláva Sobotovičová’s musical collages possess a sophisticated sense of spontaneity and accentuate the critical potential of historical compositions as well as their relevance for the present day. Where collages in general are based on the contrast and juxtaposition of incongruous and inherently contradictory fragments, Sobotovičová’s audio performances surprise us with how harmoniously the live vocals cannibalize originally unrelated pop hits. By relativizing time and place, she emphasizes music’s social function. For Sobotovičová, one important quality of “low” culture is its easy availability, and through her appropriation she questions the autonomy of a product of the entertainment industry as well as the inviolability of “innocent” old songs.
Length: 15 minutes, repeated
Theme: Sláva Sobotovičová
Curator: Mariana Serranová
Sound: Pavel Havrda
Sláva Sobotovičová (*1973) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) in Prague and is a doctoral candidate at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design. She also works at AVU’s audiovisual archives. Her videos, audio installations, and performances explore popular culture, gender, folklore, and nature. She has exhibited at group and solo exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad, including the Moravian Gallery in Brno and the National Gallery in Prague, and has participated in numerous independent projects in, among other places, the Miroslav Kraljević Gallery in Zagreb and the MARS Gallery in Moscow.
