Imagine Museum Revisited

Paintings and glass works by Jan Exnar

When my friends come to visit, I put together a little itinerary for them to peruse. Unbeknownst to me, my friend Sarah was not really looking forward to our outing to Imagine Museum in St. Pete. I had only told her it was a glass museum, and she had visions of looking at one work by Chihuly after another.

"Oh ye of little faith!" I said when she confessed her misapprehension a few minutes into our visit. Chihuly is of course uber talented and an important figure in the glass world. But I, like Sarah, am happy to move on to the work of glass artists with whom I'm not familiar. Imagine Museum is the perfect place for such an exploration. 

"Statua, Model 1:5" by Jan Exnar (2019-2020)

Case in point: The work of Jan Exnar. The juxtaposition of Exnar's glass sculptures with his paintings of similarly shaped objects was striking and unexpected. I liked it. 

It's always interesting to find out what inspires an artist. In the case of Exnar, this requires a history lesson. Exnar's work is said to "serve as a visual commentary on the Velvet Revolution." As I'm sure you know (as I do now, thanks to Google), the Velvet Revolution was the Federal Republic of Czechoslavakia’s non-violent transition of power in 1989 that converted their system of government from Communism to a parliamentary republic. Four years later, the Federation went through the Velvet Divorce when it was divided into Czechoslovakia and Slovakia. I like the terminology, not to mention the fact that they somehow achieved the transition without resorting to violence. I suspect it's the jagged edges of Exnar's work that are intended as a reference to the Revolution and the split of the Federation, but your guess is as good as mine. Let me know if you have other thoughts. 

"Who Doesn't Love a Bad Idea" by Morgan Peterson

The work in the "Imagine Differently" exhibit was also unexpected, but in an entirely different way. The exhibit features artwork in a variety of mediums that addresses themes such as social advocacy, the war on drugs and human trafficking. 

Morgan Peterson's "Who Doesn't Love a Bad Idea" gave me pause. The oversized razor blade was particularly impactful. It turns out this isn’t a unique piece in Peterson's portfolio. She often explores issues of addiction in her artistic practice. Click here to see the even more striking "Once Upon a Crime, the American Epidemic." 

Peterson's name might be ringing some bells if you watch the reality show "Blown Away." She won Season 4 of the art glass competition in a victory that social media characterizes as controversial. I'm just reporting here. For Peterson's website, click here. 

"Hot Head" by Ivana Sramkova

How about something a bit lighter? Ivana Sramkova's "Hot Head" made me smile. It's not often that I would call a work of glass art "cute," but this work is adorable. Why didn't I get a picture with him? More interestingly, why did I characterize this gender neutral work as a man? Hmm. 

While Sramkova's work is quite varied, she often creates these quasi-abstract figurative forms. She explains her attraction to figurative work on her website, which says, in part, "Perhaps the majority of us respond to the growing chaos around us with a counter-reaction: restoring calmness and comprehensibility. Figuration is a suitable method for this." Sramkova also notes that she's inspired by the art of Indigenous peoples, Egypt and antiquity. Now that I think about it, the simplicity and geometry of her figures remind me a bit of cave paintings. To read her entire credo, click here. And to see more of her figures, click here. I love the names she's given them. If you have time, it's fun to explore her entire body of work. Her paintings have the same whimsical feel as her sculpture. This is art I could live with. 

Once again, a visit to Imagine Museum was both interesting and fun. I highly recommend it when you’re in need of an art outing. (Note: The use of the word “need” is intentional, at least for me.) For more info on Imagine Museum, go to https://www.imaginemuseum.com/.