Jozef Mihál — From the Pink Rabbit series

The two pieces from the now-deceased Jozef Mihál have become a part of the Nitra Gallery’s collection as a gift that is supposed to record and preserve the work of this gifted sculptor in the passing time. The artist’s creative program was terminated prematurely by his death in 2009. His relatives donated these two pieces – a red wooden object resembling a plastic cream cup with a thread, from the Pink Rabbit series, which is a blow-up. Pink Rabbit is a peculiar object in space bordering between a sculpture and product design. On one hand, its perfectly smooth shapes are in contrast with the weathered old boards visible in the uncovered parts of the object. The object is all about losing and finding beauty. Sometimes, beauty can be shallow, or hidden deep down and sometimes the beauty on the surface can hide a different, rough layer (of boards and wood). The artificial is put in contrast with the natural.

The other Untitled object resembles a thigh, however, it is a blow-up of a biomorphic motive. The object is made of chipboards with a raised mastand of various parts of old tires layered like roof tiles or scales on animal or plant skin. Mihál was very much inspired by nature and its surface and haptic properties. He was a very talented artist who was able to work and incorporate any kind of material. He loved to work with discarded materials. He liked to give a second chance to unwanted surplus as he did not like wasting. His modesty, easiness, introvert nature and freedom of expression made him the great sculptor he was. His life and work were prematurely terminated by his tragic death in the spring 2009.