Aug 31 –When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself changed into an monstrous cockroach in his bed.
I start today with the opening line from Kafka’s Metamorphosis, as today we will see the head of Franz Kafka. Spinning. Slowly.
On a downtown cul-de-sac is a big shiny head of Franz Kafka, a work by Czech artist David Cerny in 2014.At the top of every hour, it rotates slowly, in horizontal slicesSome say Kafka should not be portrayed as a bright, shiny figure. Others say he was multidimensional, so this work is apt.The crowd is appreciative Finally, all the slices come back together, and the head is restored until the next hour.Here is another Kafka statue by Jaroslav Rona, depicting Kafka sitting atop an empty suit. I hope you appreciate all the art education you’re getting today!Down the street is another work by David Cerny, installed in 1996 high up over the street, dangling from a flagpole. Do you see it? When this work was on tour, people sometimes called the police to report a possible suicide.This is Sigmund Freud, hanging nonchalantly by one hand with his other hand in his pocket, as if contemplating whether one should hang on for the new millennium.Now for something completely different, we took a trolley across town to the Strahov Monastery and LibraryA beautiful space to gaze into, although we weren’t allowed inside I’m a fan of gorgeous ceilingsA collection of old globes…and natural specimens in cases that look like books The Church of Our Lady, attached to the monastery, was equally ornate.Once again, we couldn’t go in, so made use of our zoom lens to see the altar.On our way home, we stopped to see one more work by David Cerny; King Wenceslaus astride his upside down dead horse, that mocks the statue of him astride his horse in the square. A day of contrasts!
Taking Our Time 