Stepanka Facerova: There are Pictures because there are Walls

Stepanka Facerova is a multidisciplinary artist based in Cambridge UK. She mainly works with sculpture and installation. By building installations she creates different worlds; worlds which are often dominated by what is seemingly uninteresting, overlooked or forgotten. She questions our social habits, the necessity of routine as well as the need for a constant change. Her practice involves using materials as varied as wood, plaster, glass, clay and paper. She is also interested in finding new ways of using traditional canvas.

"The themes that interest me are social habits and the everyday. In particular, the ideas for my work originate from a simple observation of how we as humans fill our days and how we share the space with other living creatures and objects. I mainly work with sculpture, assemblage and installation. The materials I use are often found, discarded objects which go through a certain transformation before being implemented in my work.

I am interested in creating 3D objects which invite the viewers to become the part of the artwork. My aim is to continue working on sculptural installations reflecting the use of gallery space and our perception of art. I have also started recording short stories narrated from the artwork's point of view. I was in my final year of the Fine Art Course at Cambridge School of Art when the lockdown struck. I was working on my degree show piece - the installation 'There are Pictures because there are Walls (Georges Perec)' when we were all sent home to complete our education from our bedrooms and kitchen tables. It was a challenging but, also in a bizarre way, rewarding experience. I have made a short film about this which can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/448683323. I am now starting my MA Fine Art course and hope to finish what I left behind when the doors of our studio at uni closed in March this year.

The Covid-19 pandemic has broadened my horizons in the sense of learning how the society is able to connect, to change, to react and cooperate when new measures are applied. It gave me time to re-evaluate my own approach to life and to my own environment and how I could reflect this through art. During lockdown, I have connected with many other artists through social media and also presented my work in digital form on a much bigger scale than I have before. I also learned to work with the space or material that was available, as the choice became very limited at times. My house has become the perfect gallery space for documenting my existing art and is providing inspiration for my future projects."

You can see more of Stepanka's work on her website, or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. 

CuratorSpace are currently featuring articles by artists, curators and organisations who want to share their experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether that is artists using their practice as a way of exploring new boundaries of isolation, or as a way to connect more broadly with their communities. We are also interested in hearing from curators and organisations who are offering support to artists and audiences during this time.

Contact us at louise@curatorspace.com to share your story.
 

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