Sugar Candy Fire/Rug II

50 % of the hammer price is allocated to support the non-profit foundation Spolu s odvahou, a member of the Bátor Tábor Family.

Flame: Sugar Candy Fire, plaster, metal, 80 cm
Painting: Rug II, wax inlay, 70 × 70 cm

Dana Bartoníčková is an artist who works with a wide range of different materials—most notably wax. She uses this “warm” material to relate to the theme of female identity, the archetypal symbols of fire, water, and home, the stuff of prehistoric communities, and the relationship between man and nature in general. For Bartoníčková the theme of femininity is connected with clothing and handwoven fabrics, perceived as something intimate that is in constant contact with our skin and which at the same time serves as protection, safety, and a return to our roots. The fibers of textiles are also the inspiration for the characteristic hatching and lines that cover the artist’s sculptures and paintings. Bartoníčková passed through several intermedia studios, first at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Pilsen and then at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where she eventually finished her studies in the sculpture studio of Lukáš Rittstein. One striking example of her work is the sculptural series Sugar Cane Fire, which explores themes of the human desire for safety, the loss of home, and the creation of a temporary refuge. The central motif of the series is fire, which symbolizes both the warmth of home and creative energy, depicted in the form of a sugary confection or a dollop of whipped cream. The sculpture in this auction is paired with a painting that is placed on the ground to act as a pedestal. It is like a carpet that demarcates a space in a room or home, which can be as ephemeral as a burning flame or a piece of candy that brings temporary euphoria but melts in the sun.