Guns 1992

David Černý

optical fiber

Born and raised in former Czechoslovakia, David Černý knows better than anyone what oppression means. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, a radical metamorphosis took also place in his birthplace Prague where he still lives. Černý himself says he is not a political animal, yet his artwork, unvarnished and confrontational, has everything to do with the truth of the day. Even his older works are more current than ever and clearly show that although time changes, the human brain does not.

Černý masters the art of balancing controversy and humor like no other. The statue ‘Guns’ from 1994 is a good example of this. Four huge black guns, hanging opposite each other, make all kinds of noises except shooting noises. It was first installed in the World Trade Center in New York. ‘Guns’ is also a figurative explosive work. Černý criticizes the world in his own way and forces you to always think with a smile.