Prague’s Most Famous: The Key Statue (Klíčová socha)

by martinaolbertova

This new piece of Czech contemporary art literally screaming the word

R  E  V  O  L  U  C  E  (Revolution)

at tourists, locals or those who are just passing by is located just opposite the Franz Kafka Museum at the tip of Prague’s historical Old Town Square.

The art installation made by Czech artist Jiří David is itself 7 metres tall and 1 ton heavy and was made out of 85,000 keys.

For some a true jewel of the Czech postmodernism, for others a tasteless metal giant, this controversial statue was made as a reflexive polemic of the artist himself with the social development of the Czech Republic within the last 20 years, that is since the fall of the Communist Regime.

David says: “There were several reasons why I accepted the challenge to make the Key Statue.  I wanted to try, whether it was possible to creatively and meaningfully shape twenty-years-long reflexion after 1989, without going after something obvious. I like surprises and uneasy challenges and this was something I really enjoyed. Every thing that I create, I do with all responsibility and with a clear notion of its context and an ambivalent respect to the remembrance of art. This is also the case of the Key Statue.”

They say 20 years is exactly the time enough for another social change to come. With the year 2010 being the election year, we sure can expect to witness interesting things in the next couple of months.

And if elections themselves won’t help, there’s always the next instance of people taking things into their own hands and letting the officials know the way they feel about where they’re leading their country.

Twenty years ago, Czechs jingled the keys during the Velvet Revolution and there’s no reason why they couldn’t do the same now 20 years later. After all, those 85,000 keys aren’t just lying there for no reason…  It’s good that we know where to go if we need them again!