The Slovak art scene currently hides talents that are recognized in the most remote corners of the world. We don't have to travel the world to see the works of exceptional contemporary artists. We just need to look within our country.
Thanks to the fact that one of the most prominent figures of Slovak sculptural creation of the twenty-first century allowed us to peek into his intimate world, we bring you the story of a man who perfectly confirms these words. An artist whose works many of us have seen in squares and parks, perhaps without suspecting that they belong to a Slovak author. Sculptor Ľubo Mikle.
Although it was clear to us from the first moment that we were in for an extraordinary afternoon when Ľubo invited us to his studio for a chat, even our wildest imaginations could not prepare us for the experience that awaited us. The large, almost two-story space, which exhibits some of the artist’s contemporary works, will enchant all your senses as soon as you cross the threshold. This is a place where ordinary steel, aluminum and cast bronze change their shape and materialize the deepest emotions into tangible objects. We sit in a corner of the studio and try to absorb as much as possible in the heat of the moment.
It is the concept of abundance that carries the conversation to recycled material, a concept that can be seen very often in Ľub Mikly's work.
However, inspiration comes not only from the material itself, but from how metal can be given new meaning through recycling.
"My inspiration is often reactions to my surroundings, or my personal or intimate positions. It is often automatic, I am looking for answers to inner questions. Many artists are influenced by a woman as a muse. This is also the case in my case, but not in the position of depicting a specific figure, but rather in response to relationships. Whenever something in my relationships shifts to a different position, my sculptures are different, more emotional. It is a mapping of my inner world."
Ľubo outlined his currently much-discussed work Cica. The project, which originally began with work on a cat mummy given to Ľubo by an acquaintance, was, according to him, a new, almost archaeological process. However, the original seven casts gave rise to a challenge in the form of the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney, Australia.
In addition to the Cica Ľubo project, he has been working for a work for a few years now, which will hopefully soon take its final form on the Bratislava waterfront. The red dwarf statue, made from part of the original Old Bridge, is to stand right next to its new version and is intended to remind Bratislavans of the history of not only this structure.
"There is an effort among the general public to erase a certain part of our history. In the first emotional-impulsive phase of destruction, people are indifferent to the fact that they are erasing their history. However, only with time can the polarity of the times be judged. It is necessary to preserve history, especially for the sake of education. The Red Dwarf project is based precisely on the memory of the city. It does not glorify the Red Army, it is not a celebration of the Russian intervention. It is just a document that does not try to judge, but gives people the opportunity to form an image. We are trying to preserve a fragment, the so-called spoleia, so that people have the opportunity to confront this type of architecture. It is a monument to a whole series of industrial buildings that are disappearing from our environment. We are trying to preserve information about what was here and what is part of us as a city."
It is precisely such projects that bring today's very talented Slovak creators closer to the general public. The Red Dwarf is a long-standing dream and goal of the team around Ľub and it only proves what exceptional people create in Slovakia. We are honored to have been able to spend at least a moment with Ľub Mikl. When you walk through the city in the summer among the sculptures installed in the center as part of the Sculpture and Object exhibition, stop by the huge bronze head of the Cat in the Presidential Garden and enjoy the moment of presence. After all, you are standing next to an exceptional work - here in Bratislava.
Photo: Pavol Zachar www.zacharphoto.com , Richard Kučera Guzmán www.richiestudio.com
Most of Ľub Mikly's works are created using steel.
"I got into metal at the end of high school, it was my first contact with this type of material. However, I only started to devote myself to it at the Academy of Fine Arts. Most people imagine working with stone when they think of sculpture, but for me, stone is a sacred material that has been formed in the earth for millions of years. It is very delicate, and there is no going back. However, it is possible to create large forms from metal, such as steel, which appeal to me enormously. Moreover, I am impressed by working with it, specifically the use of fire. It is a very elemental, magmatic process when a person welds, cuts. It is timeless, extremely durable, and there is still plenty of it within the content."
My work is very much influenced by the spiritual background of recycling. Putting new meaning into a material that has a story behind it. I use recycled materials in many of my sculptures. I give life to things that others have long buried.
The creative process that Ľubo goes through cannot be generalized, according to him. It is the interplay of several processes that express what Ľubo Mikle is.
"You could say that I have three procedural approaches. A la prima, when things go like a jigsaw puzzle, quickly, without drawing preparation. The material arrives and I assemble the sculptures. This is definitely the most immediate level, where the feeling for the composition and material is subject to inner emotions. It is the approach when I am least dependent on the surroundings. However, I often work in the form of a combination of drawing - model - realization, or the most complicated and lengthy approach, when I use all possible technologies, 3D printing, CT scan, plans."
It's a semi-scientific process. In this form, I created a work of art of a cat, whose head we took several thousand images of using CT. These are experiments that push one far beyond the boundaries of ordinary sculpture.
"A limitless situation is optimal for me - it's pure emotion, cut off from all possible limits, but it depends on the period, it's a sinusoid. I am all three approaches, it's difficult when you're torn inside to do ant work, then I'm able to do more emotional things, and vice versa, sometimes I like a period of exploring new approaches. Anyway, I'm a very impatient person, I like to have answers very quickly. When welding, things arise enormously quickly, they explicitly reflect the current internal situation and setting. Sometimes, however, there are technical and chemical-physical processes that, unfortunately, you can't influence."
"For the Sydney exhibition, I decided to submit a cat, or rather just its enlarged head, at a breakneck deadline. We took several thousand CT scans of it, based on which we conducted research. It received a likeness of the data, according to which we modeled the head on a computer, milled it, and then cast it into a 1,100-kilogram bronze statue. I have a long-standing desire to "vectorize" the map of the world with my works. Australia and the place on the beach by the ocean, where the work is exposed to the incredible effects of nature, is amazing."
