Spirit World Rising III / MMCXXVI

Spirit World Rising III / MMCXXVI
Anežka Hošková and Anders Grønlien
curator: Petr Krátký
Church of St. Lawrence in Klatovy
25. 4. 2026 – 7. 6. 2026 In the monumental sacral space of Klatovy’s Church of St. Lawrence, the Czech-Norwegian duo of Anežka Hošková and Anders Grønlien presents the first of three planned parts of its latest site-specific project. Spirit World Rising III / MMCXXVI is a visual and sound intervention that works with the changing character of the chosen site’s genius loci as it delves into the depths of repressed spiritual forces in the relentless flow of time. The international character of the two artists’ collaboration allows them to look at local history through universal symbols. Christian and cosmic motifs act as a universally understood language that transcends cultural boundaries and connects the memory of Central Europe with Nordic reflections on landscape and myth. In this way, installation follows smoothly on the artists’ earlier joint projects through which they have systematically built their own specific, internally cohesive spiritual world. At Prague’s Kostka Gallery (MeetFactory) in 2016 they focused on a ritual activation of the space and on the role of the artist as a mediator of “mystical participation,” and that same year at Pilsen’s Papírna they explored the tension between a sincere spiritual journey and its theatrical, even ironic, interpretation. Their collaborative efforts are founded on the interplay between two seemingly antithetical approaches: on the one hand is Anders Grønlien’s meditative calmness and dreamlike visuality, which finds expression in contemplative paintings; on the other hand is the vibrant energy and ritual unrest of Anežka Hošková, who introduces a sense of elementary tension and violation of order into her works. In fact, it is this discontinuity which forms the ideal framework in which to combine contemporary mysticism with an underground aesthetic. Together, the artists build a complex whole in which historical and occult symbols form the material for a modern ceremony. The roman numeral MMCXXVI (2126) in the title is a reference to the next time Comet Swift–Tuttle will pass by Earth. Dust particles from this comet form the Perseid meteor shower, which in Christian tradition is known as the “tears of St. Lawrence” in reference to the martyrdom of the church’s patron saint: the shooting stars are interpreted as sparks from a fire or as tears of suffering. In their installation, Hošková and Grønlien transform this theme into a modern memento mori. They point to the horizon of the distant future, a time long after we are gone, thus emphasizing our inevitable disappearance and the transient nature of human endeavors – just as, in the history of this church, spiritual glory has alternated with the dust of oblivion. At the center of the church’s interior, where the religious rites were once held, the artists have erected a symbolic lighthouse whose rotating reflection of light constantly redefines the Baroque symmetry of the church’s nave. The glimmers of light flickering through the interior like meteors across the night sky activate cosmic time and set the static architecture in motion. This visual experience is complemented by an unsettling soundscape evoking distant thunder – a metaphor for impending danger that, in the context of current socio-political events, reminds us of the uncertainty of the world “out there.” In the nave’s lateral niches, a dialogue unfolds between eternal cosmic constants and a fantastical subjectivity. The symbols of the Sun and Moon represent humanity’s historical and mythological anchoring, while large-scale paintings open up vistas onto surreal landscapes. In these visions, the human need for order collides with the chaos of a complex natural system and an ambivalent collective unconscious. Spirit World Rising III / MMCXXVI exists in the timeless realm between sleep and waking. It invites visitors to participate in a mystical ceremony that, through light and sound, awakens the church’s slumbering soul and asks questions as to our place in the endless cycle of the universe.