A photo-project, magazine Fotograf no. 13
Text Radek Wohlmuth
Prague, May 19, 2009
As has become a custom, also this time the only gender-balanced Czech art group – Mothers and Fathers lay their head on the block. This time quite literally. The title of this group, which in its way serves as a self-preservative institution for artists with kids, can not be any clearer. It tells us the gender of the partakers, their status in the society and the motifs they work with. This time Lenka Klodová, Lucie Nepasická, Martin Péč and Marek Rejent focus on another expressive demonstration of the post-modern subcultural aesthetics – tattoo. And here again they use a distinctive and sarcastic version of what is normal.
Instead of commercially multiplied ornamentally-caligraphic compositions MaF prosaically decorated their bodies with original realistic motives from the arsenal of the “family happiness” evergreens. The tragicomic ballpoint pen “inks”, that remind us of the naïve creations of prison art, still try – with the naturalness of their own – to follow the usual decorative parameters, precision and slightly erotic placing of the tattoo. They are perfectly placed even in the logics of its “field”. Thus, this is a minutely conceived second episode of all those arrow pierced hearts, maybe even with the names of the present-day love. At the same time it is a soft hint. The reason is clear. A person in love doesn’t think very long before they let the tattoo needle on their bare skin, and no wonder they later realize how extreme this was.