A Playful Movement: Younger Generation Czech and Polish Animators, and Privatisation
7 December 2011 - 29 January 2012
AV Room & Master Bedroom
Curated by Dr Miriam Harris. Co-ordinated by Deborah Lawler-Dormer
Michal Zabka, Mrs G (2009), Stop-motion Animation
To follow on from part one of this exhibition (Czech and Polish Mid-careerist and Vetaran Animators), the work of fourteen talented Czech and Polish animators from the younger generation is examined in this part of the show.
"Their ages range from twenty four to forty six, and they have had to negotiate not only the creative freedom that has accompanied the collapse of Communism in 1989, but also the financial difficulties. Under Communism, large animation studios were supported by the government, making for a highly fertile environment of creative innovation in animation, which spawned numerous Czech and Polish successes at international film festivals.
Do the unique qualities from this “golden c/age of animation” era still exist in work of the younger generation? My response is that yes, much interesting work is being produced that still exhibits the unique characteristics associated with Czech and Polish animation, while having to also take on board the challenges associated with privatization and a global market. The younger generation’s teachers have been the veterans and mid-careerists, and their students have both absorbed their legacy and initiated new directions. Consequently, the work represented here is remarkably eclectic, ranging from stop-motion puppet films to Flash animation and animated computer games."
-Dr Miriam Harris
Exhibited here are the younger generation’s sketches, storyboards, images from their films and the animated films themselves, as well as written accounts from curator Dr Miriam Harris describing meeting up with each of the animators in January 2011.
