Monika Immrová

Contemporary artistic trends that go hand in hand with the current discourse of liquid modernity are marked not only with conceptual thinking, but notably also with the shift from the material to the virtual. Monika Immrová is among artists who, in the face of these prevailing tendencies, turn their head backwards. However, no matter how this may seem out of date, our current times require strong rooting for us to survive and thrive. Moreover, as human beings, we are – willingly or unwillingly – trapped in the physical world and we will not get out of it any time soon. The approach of artists who see the relationship to matter, the predefined form and archaic essence as key for their work is therefore both symptomatic and topical. In the history of art we can see similar tendencies of going back to the essence, to roots, to matter or to mother that help navigate uncertain times. Monika Immerová’s work manifests this tendency as early as in the 1990s, when, in contrast to the minimalist conceptualism of the time, she opted for classical materials and themes, and in her minimalist bronze or concrete sculptures, still inspired by the human figure, she thoughtfully works with archaistic colored, geometric or highly stylized floral ornament. Ornament used with ironic detachment adds life, sparkle and wit to her works that are based on pure refined forms, which is another characteristic of Monika Immrová’s work. In her works that are otherwise austere in terms of colors that fall mainly within the white – gray scale materials carry symbolic meanings similar to those characteristic of the Middle Ages (gold, lapis lazuli...).

Reduction is the basis of Monika Immrová’s sculptural and graphic work as well as the use of elementary shapes, volumes and, of course, light. On her graphic sheets, her artistic expression varies from lapidary line compositions to “still lifes” of a sculptural volume creating spatial illusions and ranging from white to black. Her graphic work is impossible to be fundamentally separated from her volumetric sculptural work; together with the artist’s other favorite format, relief, they still form a single ideological and formal unit, albeit a changeable one.

The key aspect of her work as a sculptor is the rendering of shapes and volumes from the position of a person moving in space. Another of Monika Immrová’s prerequisites is a personal and direct physical participation in the work. As a sculptor, she draws on her own experience of the material world and the associated need to engage with the work in physical terms. Therefore, she naturally thinks and expresses herself using matter, starting from specific situations which she strips down to reach their essence: “I relate to things that I have some personal experience with, things that I know well, things that I think about. I value simple and clear language. I respect the effectiveness of words and am aware of the subjective interpretation of their meaning. I am interested in the clarity of the conveyed message. Yet, I also like to observe the transmission of information without the use of words.” /MI/. Her sculptures and prints do not need any instructions for understanding, although in line with this “confession” she adopted an abstract, geometric approach as the closest and most appropriate for this work. Her geometry is neither rigorous in Euclidean terms nor marked with intellectual detachment. Despite their seemingly simple form, the sculptures are alive because they emerge from life and attest to life. Often, in fact, the already organic shapes seem to grow spontaneously, more than once non-violently slightly deviating away from the rules of the constructively projected ideal form. Through this preoccupation with life and one of its basic manifestations, growth, the artist seeks a way to its essence and general meaning. If we look for an analogy in art history, this kind of vitalism resembles the work of Hana Wichterlová.

At the same time, Monika Immrová has for a long time been contemplating the concept of canon as an ideal set of rules, striving for a canonical expression with her own art work. Her starting point lies in both the Aristotelian and the Platonic approach: “The intention is to reflect on ideal proportions and beauty, on the possibility of rational grasping of intuitively perceived laws of proportion and composition. (...) The desire for harmony seems to be a living archetype that manifests itself, for example, through various canonical systems. Its visualization stems from an exceptional ability to perceive and reproduce the presence of order. Balance and proportionality lead to harmony. The balance of all components. The right/correct measure. Sobriety. Inner tension, interplay of material, size and form. In spite of inner movement, we perceive a radiant calmness." /MI/. For Monika Immrová, the personal formulation of the canon ideally becomes the work itself.

The concept of the canon, historically based on the dimensions and proportions of the human figure and depending on the focus of the particular artist, emphasizing various aspects of the work (architecture, movement in space, symbolic meaning, etc.), is also related to the artist’s installations in public space. Immrová again draws on her own experience of space, but instead of typical site-specific installations, as evidenced, for example, by a set of fourteen concrete horizontal geometric objects (Lying) situated on the river bank in Kadaň. Minimalist in their essence, the abstract objects still draw on the canon defined by the human figure, and with their unusual horizontal position and subdued, non-spectacular placement, they evoke a sense of calmness and harmony and invite to a contemplative pause.

The art work of Monika Immrová’s reflects the search for a journey to one’s self and through this inner self to humanity. In the contemporary world marked with fluid paradigms, often called the world of post-truth or post-factuality, her work represents a stabilizing substance that fulfills its primary essence, which has since the very beginning aimed to transcend beyond the work itself.

Sympozia

2016
Kámen, park Rehabilitační nemocnice, Beroun (katalog)
2014
Kámen, Zwickau, SRN (katalog)
2011
Cesta mramoru, Dobřichovice (katalog)
2005
Beton, Nový Dvůr (katalog)
2003
Dřevo, Markneukirchen, SRN
1998
Dřevo, Markneukirchen, SRN
1996
Galerie Sýpka, Vlkov

Realizace

2017
Vitráž pro dvorek filosofa, Slavonice
2012–2015
Reliéf pro Dům s klenbami (nerealizováno), Praha
2011
NMF, Kadaň

Ilustrace

Michal Maršálek, Pootevřeno, Dauphin, 2015
Gustav Erhart, Podvojná znamení, Dauphin, 2005

2020
Mladičová Iva, Tříbení, katalog k výstavě, Galerie Hlavního města Prahy 2020
Šiklová Lucie, Monika Immrová – Ležící, Sochařský park Klenová, Galerie Klatovy / Klenová 2020
Leubnerová Šárka; Šiklová Lucie, Voda, katalog k výstavě, Galerie Klatovy / Klenová 2020 2019
Mladičová Iva, Krása a půvab, katalog k výstavě, Oblastní Galerie Liberec 2019
Kolektiv autorů, Kunstsammlung Krohne, Krohne Messtechnik GmbH 2019
Immrová Monika, Grafická práce – poznámky, Revolver revue, ročník XXXIV, č. 114, Praha 2019, s. 17–32.
Brucháčková – Závodná Vladimíra, Galerie Závodný 2018, Galerie Závodný 2019 2018
Immrová Monika, Zápis a vizualizace kánonu. Disertační práce, Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze, 2018
Kolektiv autorů, Stavy mysli / Za obrazem / Obměny a intervence, Stálá expozice GASK – Galerie Středočeského kraje, GASK, Kutná Hora 2018, obr. s. 342, s. 366. 2017
Mladičová Iva; Immrová Monika, Socha 2 / AVU 1990–2016 / Demartini – Zeithamml, Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze, Praha 2017
Mladičová Iva, Monika Immrová / SOCHA, katalog k výstavě, Topičův salon, Praha 2017
Lipavský Jakub, Monika Immrová, text k výstavě Členění, 2017 2016
Primusová Adriana, Socha – Daniela Vinopalová a Monika Immrová, katalog k výstavě, Galerie Středočeského kraje GASK 2016 2015
Mladičová Iva, Tvar předchází prostor, katalog k výstavě, Galerie Dům, Broumov 2015
Mladičová Iva, Dvakrát o soše, Art+Antiques / 12+1, 2015
Hlaváček Petr, Průvodce Nábřežím Maxipsa Fíka v Kadani, 2015 2014
Vaňous Petr, Sochu musíte vytvořit, to nelze obejít, rozhovor, Revolver Revue č.94, 2014 2013
Vaňous Petr, Jiný čas, katalogový list k výstavě, Galerie Klatovy / Klenová 2013 2012
Kramerová Daniela, Souvislost, katalogový list k výstavě, Galerie města Louny GAML, Louny 2012
Karlík Viktor, Ateliéry, Revolver Revue č. 88, 2012 2010
Jirsová Klára, Svoz 12, Salve, 2010
Svoboda Petr, Vkročení do Prostoru, katalog k výstavě, Galerie výtvarného umění v Mostě 2010 2009
Vachudová Božena, Monika Immrová / Tvary, katalog k výstavě, Galerie umění Karlovy Vary 2009 2007
Primusová Adriena, Linie a forma, katalogový list k výstavě, 2007 2005
Koval Miroslav, Hmota, objem, tvar, katalog k výstavě, Galerie Caesar, Olomouc 2005

2021
Lipavský Jakub, Monika Immrová. Mír mezi duchem a hmotou, Qartal 01, GHMP, 2021

2018
Reber Simone, Himmelwasserblau, Tagesspiegel, 19. 10. 2018

2013
Kramerová Daniela, V jiném i známém čase a prostoru s díly Moniky Immrové, Ateliér č.19, 2013

2012
Pospiszyl Tomáš, Pomalá sochařka, Lidové noviny, 2012
Netopil Pavel, Souvislost, Art+Antiques / 03, 2012

2009
Kroupová Markéta, Sochařka a grafička, Ateliér č.21, 2009

2007
Bieleszová Štěpánka, Archaický les forem, A2 č.12, 2007

2006
Wagner Radan, Dialogy v Rajské zahradě, A2 č.37, 2006

2005
Primusová Adriena, Hmota, objem, tvar, Ateliér č.23, 2005
Míčová Marie, Sympozium v Betonu, Ateliér č.25–26, 2005

2004
Míčová Marie, Monika Immrová, Ateliér č.8, 2004

2003
Svoboda Petr, Glypho Grafein, Ateliér č.2, 2003

Artyčok, 2021, https://artycok.tv/actors/immrova-monikahttps://artycok.tv/43921/tribeni CRo3 Vltava, Vizitka, 2021, https://www.audiolibrix.com/cs/Podcast/Listen/330209/vizitka-monika-immrova-vystavy-nemam-dopredu-vymyslene-do-hry-beru-i-vyhled-z-okna Aktuálně.cz, 2020, https://magazin.aktualne.cz/kultura/umeni/podcast-petra-viziny-sochu-nelze-popsat-monika-immrova/r~beedc60c23bb11eb842f0cc47ab5f122/ ČT art, Artmix 2019, https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10123096165-artmix/219562229000005-sochu-nicim-nenahradis ČT art Artmix, Malířky a sochařky, 2018, Prostory a tvary Moniky Immrové, https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10123096165-artmix/218562229000002/video/603162 ČT art Artmix, Vánoční putování za uměním, 2018, Galerie Závodný, https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/10123096165-artmix/218562229000010/obsah/661864-galerie-zavodny