648,200 Czech Crowns

Pavel Ticho(ň)’s artistically diverse body of work has developed in a somewhat atypical way around two media poles, between which the artist moves freely and with ease. The first of these consists of classical, expressively conceived painting; the second is new media art, encompassing multimedia installations, video, photography, and performance. Ticho(ň) shuns complicated artistic concepts, instead relying on intuition and spontaneous impulses and striving to make his work accessible to the widest possible audience. His practice blends diverse influences, references, and quotations drawn from both art history and popular culture. He often works with Dadaistic humor, exaggeration, and irony, through which he addresses more serious topics as well. He also focuses on more direct messages criticizing certain aspects of contemporary life - such as succumbing to advertising, consumerist thinking, and cutthroat competitiveness - while also leveling institutional critiques at the art world and the art market. Ticho(ň)’s 648,200 Czech Crowns is a critical work that references the mechanics of the art market and the issue of the creation of value. The piece consists of shredded banknotes from the Czech National Bank with a total face value corresponding to the title of the work. With its critical tone, it alludes to a number of well-known conceptual works that ironize the relationship between a work of art, money, and market price. One example is Banksy’s painting Love is in the Bin, whose shredding right in the auction hall led to an increase in its price. Ticho(ň) builds on a similar paradox; by devaluing the money, a new artistic artifact is created, which restores potential market value to the waste material.

70 % of the hammer price is allocated to support the non-profit foundation  Spolu s odvahou, a member of the Bátor Tábor family.