Stephanie's day Neun in München!

The Hidden Aspect: Pavel Opočenský

We'll one hidden aspect I only just (in the last 5 minutes or so) discovered is that our dear Pavel has been a passionate character, convicted of many a crime, within his original Czech Republic as well as Germany. However upon meeting this more controversial character, I have to say that none of my instinctual radars picked up on any unsavoury vibes. We walked into the exhibition "5 Men" to the welcome of 4 of the 5, who were ready to tell us the 5th fellow was young, and apologising for his lateness explaining that young men will sleep in where old men can no longer. I thoroughly enjoyed his presence - strengthening the importance I personally place on a present artist at their show. There is an extent where I will agree the audience need to use their own experiences to judge a work, but if a work is not self-explanatory, which is often, it is much more interesting to hear the artist's rendition of meaning, even if it's minimal, to begin the thought process. So it was with an appreciative ear that I listened to Pavel eagerly pull our interest to his own work. I wasn't complaining!  I think the thing that makes this post all the more important is that I keep coming back to it when I think of this day. We visited the show and were immediately met by Mr Pavel Opočenský, a happy bear of a fellow, who insisted on showing us all his broaches - at first just interestingly carved (what he told us were) snow boards. With his enthusiastic encouragement we held them up backward in the window, adn we were met with the otherwise invisible glowing patterns on the back! One thing I have definitely learned from this trip which I shall never forget is THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BACK! So sorry, but it seems these works are much too new to have pictures of them on the internet, and all of us we in a state of awe and obviously unable to handle our user-friendly cameras. Hopefully the Snowboard Series (broach - plastic, wood €3000, but maybe this flattering post will lead to a gift? *crosses fingers*) will appear on the magical web-world soon! Until then I'll let you imagine Atlantis-esque patterns carved into layered wood, deep enough that the vibrant colour of the opposite side is visible, and touched with paint so that when held to the light, the paint (red in my memory) shines through the yellow of the opposite side, glowing and orange pattern. The stuff only made of the imagination. Pavel Opočenský should be heartily congratulated for this achievement. If you ever read this, I salute you sir, as a man of pure magic.