The heart of the giraffe in captivity is about twelve pounds lighter
The exhibition Heart of Giraffe in captivity is about twelve pounds lighter, which represented the Czech Republic at the 60s. The Biennial of Arts in Venice (2024), follows the traces of Lenka's life and deals not only as a form of violence, but also with the possibilities of healing and remedy. Inside the gigantic tunnel depicting the neck of the animal in the extremely vulnerable position of sleep, the individual chapters of Lenka's life unfold. Their performers and artists are children, teachers and older people who worked with Eva Koťátková*Y on a series of workshops in schools and community centers throughout the Czech Republic using the methodology of transformative education of the Gesturing Twards Decolonial Futures.
The exhibition aims to question hierarchy and extractive practices anchored in learning, meeting and observation of animals, but it also strives to awaken collective and critical imagination. It is based on lesser -known events of the Czechoslovak history of animal trade from the countries of the global south and proposes ways of involvement in which care and imagination are as important as the historical narrative. The World of the Free (world of free) created by the artistic duo of Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser (Hylozoic/Desires) consists of historical records of Lena's journey and news about her death in the form of repair poetry.
Lenka presents herself in a small court of the Trade Fair Palace to testify on the next stage of her life: eternal rest in the form of a scientific research object in the Depository of the National Museum. The aging taxidermia of the giraffe was scanned in situ focusing on the blanks in its cracks. The texture of the cracks that the artist transformed into tactile objects is imprinted in the castings, thus sharing the idea of reviving, care and burial.
Curator/author of the text: Hana Janečková
