Prague, Sept 20 (CTK) – British artist Roger Hiorns and the Rudolfinum Gallery will bury a Soviet-made Mig 21 fighter within the Plane Burial event in Dolni Brezany near Prague on October 1 on the occasion of the gallery’s 100th exhibition, opened two weeks ago, gallery curator David Korecky told CTK on Wednesday.
Hiorns, a significant young generation artist, had an exhibition in Rudolfinum two years ago. He will also attend the event in Dolni Brezany.
The event is named “burial” on purpose, as opposed to “funeral,” since it stands for a physical activity primarily rather than a commemorative act or a mourning ceremony to part with someone or something that is leaving.
In his project, Hiorns refers to the land art tradition, but he also reviews the traditional rituals in a globalised society. The age-old human desire to fly gave birth to efficient machines, devices to manifest and reinforce human power, underlining the triumph of technology and progress.
“Hiorns works with the theme of wasting the human potential, pointing out that people often strive for things, the meaning and significance of which may be questionable,” the curator said, explaining the hidden social-critical meaning of the plastic arts event.
The choice of the plane to be buried was not easy owing to the high costs of aircraft and the fact that older planes may even become protected heritage.
The village of Dolni Brezany on the outskirts of Prague has a long history, which is why the burial will be supervised by archeologists. Other experts will assist in the decontamination of the plane to be buried in a public park, which is a property of the ELI Beamlines research centre.
