The outdoor gallery on Šilingrovo Namesti has been decorated with a new work of art inspired by Plato. The work by Jan Dostál, entitled ‘Foreign Stars’, is the 8th installation hosted by the square’s metal display platform since it was created in 2017.
The sculpture by Dostál, a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Brno University of Technology, is made of corten. It is a three-dimensional object with 12 vertices and 20 sides. Dostál was inspired by the ancient philosopher Plato and his concept of the basic structure of the universe. The chosen shapes symbolize perfection, harmony and balance. The sculptor completed the work, which includes two separate sculptures known as ‘Foreign Star I’ and ‘Foreign Star II’, this summer.
“In cooperation with experts, we selected from several proposals,” said the mayor of the Brno-střed district, Vojtěch Mencl (ODS). “This time, we were most impressed by the work of Jan Dostál, who has also exhibited sculptures in other Czech cities and abroad in the past. I believe that visitors will like his work and it will have a similar response to the previous installation.”
The new sculpture weighs almost 300 kilograms, and was installed on Šilingrovo namesti this morning by municipal workers. “The Šilingrák Gallery has been operated by the district in cooperation with its charitable organization Kávéeska since 2017,” said Roman Kotěra (ODS), 3rd Deputy Mayor of Brno-střed responsible for culture. “The Foreign Star installation is the eighth one we are presenting here. We expect it to remain on the square for about a year.”
The previous installation at the site was a sculpture by Michal Gabriel called ‘Mowgli’. The plinth has previously hosted several other works by Gabriel, as well as by Pavel Tasovský, Tomáš Medek, and Pavel Tasovský Jr.
“We are also operating a public gallery on Římské náměstí,” added Tomáš Pavčík, director of Kávéeska. “We are currently looking for the optimal work of art that would best suit the space there.”
