One of the most provocative dialogues concerning the future of art and ecology is resonating in Dornbirn, Austria. Kunstraum Dornbirn has opened its doors to the mesmerizing and thought-provoking world of Czech artist Anna Hulačová. This solo exhibition, continuing until 1 March 2026, invites us beyond the familiar world into a hybrid future where machines intertwine with plants and humans with insects.
Anna Hulačová’s art revolves around themes of ecology and agriculture, presenting a universe where optimism collides with pessimism, and past meets future. Through her sculptures, the artist gives tangible form to the tense “in-between zone” created by our present world and its possible tomorrows.
A Hybrid Language of Materials and Techniques
Hulačová brings together strikingly contrasting materials in constructing her technical and aesthetic language:
- Concrete: The cold texture of modern industry and Soviet Brutalism.
- Ceramics and Wood: The warm, organic heritage of traditional crafts and Czech folk art.
- Hybrid Forms: Technical machines, plants, and animals are fused with such mastery that these beings no longer seem bound solely by earthly rules. Mutated, intertwined machine-like organisms stand before us, their bodies and functions transformed.
“Alienbees”: Mutation of Bees and Rituals of Survival
One of the most striking sections of the exhibition is the artist’s “Alienbees” series. Drawing inspiration from the evolutionary mechanisms bees use to protect themselves from parasites, Hulačová reimagines these creatures as savior figures.
- Living Sculptures: Some of the works are not merely bee figures—they are designed as actual beehives. The artist allows bee colonies to build their combs directly inside wooden forms.
- Symbol of the Soul: The honeycomb structures inside the sculptures replace central organs and symbolize the “soul.” Here, bees are not only pollinators but the very essence of the food chain and of life itself.
“Alienbees, save us, please!” — the rhythmic plea that has echoed since the artist’s Białystok exhibition continues to resonate in the Dornbirn installations.
Legacy of the Past: From Brutalism to Folk Art
Hulačová’s formal language draws not only from biology but from a deep historical and cultural reservoir. The communist-era forced collectivization and displacement processes in Czechoslovakia—experiences present in her own family history—infuse her works with an underlying melancholy concerning agricultural history.
- Czech Folk Art: The grace of traditional figures.
- Soviet Brutalism: The monumental and austere structure of the sculptures.
- Futurism: The aesthetics of motion and technological transformation.
Hulačová’s core belief is this: “Understanding yesterday allows dialogue with today and the shaping of tomorrow.” In line with this conviction, the exhibition at Kunstraum Dornbirn weaves together new works with existing pieces in a narrative tailored to the spirit of the space.
In Dornbirn’s industrial atmosphere, beneath vast ceilings, encountering these hybrid giants rising upward offers a shattering experience that compels us to rethink modern humanity’s damaged relationship with nature.
Foto: Polina Davydenko
