ART | TRANSFIELD

"Artists in Eastern European countries that have recently stepped away from the old certainties of a communist ideology and the paternal state are faced with an extraordinary opportunity to choose a different path, or a slower rate of acceleration, than that which has successfully scrambled Western contemporary culture. The temptation to jump directly into competition with their peers in the west must be considerable. The recession may provide a timely brake on this process, forcing discretion and reflection. Groups of young artists in Prague have come together to provide a sense of purpose and communal stability to their development, encouraged by relatively liberal conditions of Havel under the new government. Milena Dopitova belongs to such a group. It is a loose association of artists who shared art school experience and have banded together to make exhibitions and support each other through the difficult period of transition. Dopitova’s work attempts to explore the nature of femininity. This exploration has not been an obvious process for women in Eastern Europe, where feminist art theory was largely absent through the 1970s and 1980s. These early investigations have a childlike playfulness and take pleasure in softness and decoration. The windmill in this exhibition reveals an inclination toward monumental forms and a sophisticated sense of possible metaphors for the human spirit."

Anthony Bond, Artistic director of the 9th Biennale of Sydney, (1992) The Boundary Rider.