Nov 03 | '12 | Michal Gabriels sculptures
Shepherds of Cheetahs by Sculptor Michal Gabriel
Shepherds of Cheetahs by Sculptor Michal Gabriel in the Prague ZOO
On Sunday, November 4th, 2012 an exhibition of sculptures by Michal Gabriel was launched in an unusual place – in the pen of cheetahs in the Prague zoological garden. This surprising placement of statues that the author called Shepherds of Cheetahs is connected with his life-long admiration for wild cats, which represent one of the main themes of Gabriel's contemporary work.
“I have always been interested in animals. I never perceived them as substitute human partners, but as other creatures that inhabit this planet. A zoological garden is one of the places where it is possible to perceive animals in this way. I am glad that the ZOO management made it possible for me to realize this peculiar confrontation between animals kept in a transformed and artificial nature and a group of bronze statues,” the author said.
The statues depict “natives, players, hunters and shepherds”. They were created gradually in 2011 and 2012. Each of the thirteen statues was originally carved from a single piece of oak trunk; in order for them to stand outside the artist cast them in bronze.
Michal Gabriel is one of the most acknowledged contemporary Czech sculptors. His work is represented, among other places, in the collections of the National Gallery in Prague and The Aleš South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou. His other sculptures enliven public spaces in parks, streets and squares. A statue of a winged leopard is guarding the entrance to the Czech president's office at the Prague Castle.
