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Discovery of the Year
Klára Vystrčilová
“It's my job that occupies me every day.“ Klára Vystrčilová
Klára is a student in her 6th year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, in the studio led by doc. Vladimír Skrepl and Jiří Kovanda. She comes from south-east Moravia and this may be the reason why she is interested in a highly unconventional design material – cotton embroidery – which she first applied in monochromatic style to sculptural paintings. She was able to test how light affects this material, how it models decorations and creates its own plasticity, brightening the canvas. Last year, she put this experience to good use when decorating clothes that are most typical of classic embroidery. The result oscillates between an effort to go back to the roots, archetypes, traditions and folklore of South Moravia on the one hand and an intentional accentuation of raw, naive hyperrealism on the other, endowing the final product with an air of unexpected originality.
Klára is not afraid to introduce painting's principles into her designer work this can be seen in her creative process where she gradually adjusts individual motifs in the implementation phase. Patterns are re-sewn or re-embroidered, creating layers for the final plasticisation of the product. Colour is an important tool for modelling plasticity and refining colour nuances that help accentuate light and shadow. Thus, a tangible high relief is created, reminiscent of impasto oil paintings. Fashion design is elevated to the stature of painting or – depending on which side you're on – painting is elevated to the stature of fashion design.
Filip Suchomel