Xenia Hoffmeister In a Maze

The central theme of the exhibition is the Maze, or staying in the Maze as an existential constant, which is at the same time sharpened by the current historical situation of permanent crisis.

An economic, ecological, security crisis, a crisis of democracy and a specific crisis of truth and criteria of truthfulness in the context of the explosion of information in the online space and the erosion of trust in the power and expert establishment. Multiple, interconnected crises manifest themselves in the everyday life of the individual as a set of more or less visible, but always acute dilemmas, when the correctness of a decision (e.g. in the form of political action) is existentially necessary, but at the same time very difficult, sometimes even impossible.

In Xenia Hoffmeister’s work, the situation in such a maze is illuminated through the many perspectives and the partial moments experienced by the one who decides what direction to take in the maze. The author contemplates different forms of mazes: those that have a starting point and those that are dead ends. The fear of the unknown is omnipresent and no answer is definitive. The risk of an illuminated path turning into a dead end is enormous. The awareness of impermanence and illusion encourages the wanderer (and the viewer) to be permanently vigilant.

Xenia Hoffmeister’s artistic expression contemplates the paralysis of indecision as much as the consequences of rushing headlong forward. However, the author does not only relate the dead ends, crossroads, middle and exit points of the labyrinth, as well as all its inhabitants and the challenges of a successful pilgrimage, to the crisis situations of today, but also sees them in the everyday human journey through life. The awareness of this fact is thus also a task of maturation of the individual, which is ultimately in line with the traditional mythology of the labyrinth as a symbol of life’s pilgrimage in ancient, Christian or Romantic iconography.

Ondřej Novotný

Biography:

Xénia Hoffmeisterová graduated from the Secondary School of Arts and Crafts in Bratislava in 1973-1977 under Rudolf Fila. In 1981-1986 she studied stage and costume design at the DAMU in Prague and painting under Oldřich Smutný. In her free work, she works with clear signs, narrative and artistic abbreviations, which she uses to dramatically point out current themes. The range of means by which he achieves suggestive expression seems inexhaustible: it extends from the primary drawing grasp of an idea through sovereignly mastered painting to a whole plethora of sculptural techniques – he weaves three-dimensional objects, composes them into ingenious moving installations, incorporates the play of shadows, carves them into stone and casts them into plastic. She is represented in a number of important collections, regularly exhibits at home and abroad, and is a member of the art associations Mánes and Hollar.

Curator: Ján Samec

Location:Danubiana, Čunovo, Slovakia

Date: until 14.04.2024

Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00

Admission:

Adults – 10 €
Family (2 adults and 2 students) – 20 €
Pensioners (over 62 years old) – 5 €
Students – 5 €
Children (under 6 years old) – Free
Danubiana Club Members – Free
Disabled persons, persons over 75 years of age – Free

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