Tomáš Klepoch — Upgrade

The Upgrade linocut, which was acquired by Nitra Gallery in 2020, is a part of four prints, each of which is marked E/A (Artist Proofs) and features a unique colour tone. In our case, it is an overprint of two colours – black and grey-green. The print follows in the footsteps of the artist’s venture into agricultural themes which he explored in 2014 with different woodcuts series like Agro and its Ceremonial Crop Burning (also a part of Nitra Gallery’s collection under the inventory number F 165) or Taming of the Large Csabai Sausage (in the Territory of the Large Pannonia)  (private collection). These works present an ironic view of the “peculiar” way the agricultural industry works in the central and eastern European countries, abuse of the EU agricultural subsidy system and the ineffectiveness of such measures. The work could also be a part of another one of his long-term areas of interest, such as open-air drawing (e.g. through a monocular). Klepoch travels across the country and uses an approach of the impartial bystander to explore the traces of human activity in nature as well as various local anomalies related to them and diverse demonstrations of inexpert creativity and DIY “improvements” lying around the frontyards and backyards of rural households.¹

The title of the print is in English as it has become a commonly used word even within Slovak language where it is used to describe an improvement, enhancement or modernisation. The focus of the sarcastic image is a barn – a stable or a pig shed – that is “upgraded” with absurd add-ons like solar panels, satellite dishes, a hunting tower and even a circular superstructure resembling a helipad. Even though the building has been insulated (our symptomatic way of understanding how to take care of architecture), its roof is made of old corrugated metal sheets and as a whole it seems very plain, perhaps unfinished, with its surroundings resembling a construction site. Instead of any structural changes, the adjustments are all only cosmetic or made by accumulating unnecessary things in the spirit of “we need to spend as much money as possible”. Klepoch incorporates various symbols and metaphors that mostly refer to the changes in our society, but he also keeps the door open for the viewer so they can come up with their own interpretations as he does not offer just “prefabricated” explanations. One of the elements open to interpretation, or perhaps even mysterious ones, is the giant human face / a mask with two figures welding something on top of it…