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DANIEL PEŠTA
Lives and works in prague, czech republic and Frankfurt, germany
 www.galeriemontanelli.com / www.nadacedrak.com
artist contact
 info@galeriemontanelli.com

Daniel Pešta’s assemblages, sculptures, and canvases take
us into a world of absurdity, a realm between the conscious
and the unconscious where we are often confronted
with profound and primal truths. On closer examination it
becomes clear that Pešta’s sources of inspiration are to
be found not primarily in external experience, through his
intensity of vision and observation of the complexities of
our ever-changing world, but also, and particularly, in his
profound inner emotional response.

In the sculpture ‘Whispers’ (2004), two figures made of
wax, fabric, leather and resin float side by side in space,
their heads inclined towards one another. The bodies are
bandaged like mummies, they have no eyes, and their
mouths are no more than gaping red holes.
The string bandages encasing their bodies are criss-
crossed by a mass of scars held together with surgical
stitches. The two figures have different genitalia and
are recognizably male and female, but otherwise totally
lacking in individuality. While the title ‘Whispers’ suggests
some kind of dialogue between the sexes, it also implies
secrecy.
By giving his figures only rudimentary mouths and
schematic, injured-looking bodies, Pešta presents us with
a very gloomy view of the possibility of forming satisfying
interpersonal relationships.
Each figure has become a simplified copy of the other;
and instead of having a real dialogue, each seems to be
talking to itself. (excerpt)
Meike Behm

WHIsPers 1, 2004 mixeD meDia, HeigHt 55 in. / 140 cm.