Head of Franz Kafka
{{Short description|Sculpture in Prague, Czech Republic}}
{{Distinguish|Statue of Franz Kafka}}
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{{Infobox artwork
| title = Head of Franz Kafka
| italic title = no
| other_language_1 = Czech
| other_title_1 = Hlava Franze Kafky
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| image = David-Černý,-Franz-Kafka,-opposite orientation-2014).jpg
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| caption = The sculpture in 2014
| artist = David Černý
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| subject = Franz Kafka
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| city = Prague, Czech Republic
| coordinates = {{Coord|50.08166|14.42082|format=dms|type:landmark_region:CZ-10|display=inline,title}}
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| mapframe-zoom = 13
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The Head of Franz Kafka ({{langx|cs|Hlava Franze Kafky}}), also known as the Statue of Kafka,{{cite web |url=http://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/1886/statue-of-kafka |title=Statue of Kafka |website=Prague.eu |date=2017-03-02 |access-date=2017-04-05 |archive-date=2017-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406110733/http://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/1886/statue-of-kafka |url-status=live }} is an outdoor kinetic sculpture by David Černý depicting Bohemian German-language writer Franz Kafka, installed on 31 October 2014 outside of the Quadrio shopping mall in Prague, Czech Republic.{{cite web |url=https://www.novinky.cz/domaci/352609-zraky-kolemjdoucich-pritahuje-unikatni-pohybliva-hlava-od-davida-cerneho.html |title=Zraky kolemjdoucích přitahuje unikátní pohyblivá hlava od Davida Černého – |website=Novinky.cz |access-date=2017-04-05 |language=cs |archive-date=2017-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406110731/https://www.novinky.cz/domaci/352609-zraky-kolemjdoucich-pritahuje-unikatni-pohybliva-hlava-od-davida-cerneho.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.drobnepamatky.cz/node/8942 |title=Hlava Franze Kafky v Praze u Národní třídy | Drobné památky |website=Drobnepamatky.cz |access-date=2017-04-05 |language=cs |archive-date=2017-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406111551/http://www.drobnepamatky.cz/node/8942 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://art.ihned.cz/umeni/c1-63038720-quadrio-cerny |title=Kafkovu sochu pro komplex na Národní třídě vyrobil David Černý | Hospodářské noviny (IHNED.cz) |website=Art.ihned.cz |date=2014-10-31 |access-date=2017-04-05 |language=cs |archive-date=2016-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102074111/http://art.ihned.cz/umeni/c1-63038720-quadrio-cerny |url-status=live }}
The price was 30 million crowns, paid by the investor CPI Property Group together with the adjacent Quadrio complex.
Kafka himself worked in the nearby building of a saving bank.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-07 |title=Něco mi vrtá v hlavě, takže s ní netočím. Kafkova socha v Praze prochází po devíti letech generální rekonstrukcí - Novinky |url=https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/kultura-neco-mi-vrta-v-hlave-takze-s-ni-netocim-kafkova-socha-v-praze-prochazi-po-deviti-letech-generalni-rekonstrukci-40445656 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.novinky.cz |language=cs}}
Description
The kinetic sculpture is 10.6 metres tall and made of 42 rotating stainless steelpanels weighting 24 tonnes in total.{{cite web |url=http://www.quadrio.cz/en/franz-kafka/ |title=Franz Kafka Statue | Shopping center Quadrio |website=Quadrio.cz |access-date=2017-04-05 |archive-date=2017-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406110116/http://www.quadrio.cz/en/franz-kafka/ |url-status=live }} Each layer is mechanized and rotates individually.{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hlava-franze-kafky|title=Franz Kafka's Spinning Head in Downtown Prague|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17|archive-date=2019-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617174453/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hlava-franze-kafky|url-status=live}} Inside, there are 21 motor modules and 1 kilometre of cables.
The programming of the sculpture's movements can be changed and the artist can create new choreographies. The flip side of this is the high maintenance, as servicing must be done every fortnight.{{Cite web |title=Franz Kafka očima tří českých sochařů {{!}} České galerie |url=https://ceskegalerie.cz/cs/vytvarne-namety/franz-kafka-ocima-tri-ceskych-socharu |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=ceskegalerie.cz |language=cs-cz}}
Criticism
Critics point out that the statue is more an advertising billboard for the mall than a work of art. Critics charge that the statue lacks a connection to Kafka's work, and that this shiny, glittering, and fascinating attraction lacks humility and sensitivity. When viewers look at the visually attractive and technologically perfect sculpture, they miss the lost and brooding soul of Franz Kafka.{{Cite web |last=Absolonová |first=Josefína |title=Franz Kafka očima tří českých sochařů {{!}} České galerie |url=https://ceskegalerie.cz/cs/vytvarne-namety/franz-kafka-ocima-tri-ceskych-socharu |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=ceskegalerie.cz |language=cs-cz}}
Others disagree, arguing that the complexity of the steel panels and the change of form of the statue in time captures Kafka's work quite well. The statue attracts lots of visitors, so it has increased Kafka's presence in Prague.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Czech Republic|Visual arts}}
- {{Commons category-inline|Kinetic Head of Franz Kafka}}
{{David Černý}}
{{Franz Kafka|state=collapsed}}
{{Public art in Prague}}
Category:Cultural depictions of Franz Kafka
Category:Kinetic sculptures in the Czech Republic
Category:Monuments and memorials in Prague
Category:Outdoor sculptures in Prague