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Maxim Velčovský statue in Znojmo
The author of Haló / The Phone Booth is Maxim Velčovský, a designer and teacher at the Academy of Arts, Design and Architecture. He became famous both here and abroad for his works in which he paraphrases well-known objects and symbols and puts them into a new role with exaggeration. Among other things, he also designs furniture and creates award-winning installations. He has exhibited in the Czech Republic and abroad, and his works are included in the collections of the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the New Pinakothek in Munich and the Mudac Museum of Design and Applied Arts in Lausanne. He mainly works with glass and porcelain, often moving on the edge of pop art. In 2010, he collaborated on the installation of the Czech pavilion for Expo 2010 in Shanghai. He is currently the creative director of Lasvit.
The Story of Haló / The Phone Booth
Creating a contemporary sculpture in Znojmo was one of the main goals set by the Art for Znojmo project back in 2012. At that time, neither the location nor the timeline for its creation had been determined. In 2017, during our first visit to the building that now houses our gallery, we were immediately captivated by the telephone booth that awkwardly stood in front of the main entrance. Not only did it obstruct the future gallery, but it also significantly hindered pedestrians and cyclists, worsened visibility at the intersection, and was in a state of disrepair. While working on establishing GaP, we simultaneously explored options for what to do with the booth. Soon, the idea arose to transform it into an artifact. We reached out to Maxim Velčovský. Because we approach artistic education in our town somewhat didactically, we wanted to begin with someone who is well-known even among the general public. It was a challenge, and we were thrilled that Maxim agreed. What followed was communication with the city, the O2 company, and securing funding from the private sector. Then came an opportunity through the municipal project Creating Znojmo—an initiative inviting citizens to participate in enhancing their city. We felt that a sculpture by a renowned designer perfectly embodied this initiative. And it turned out that the voting citizens agreed; our project came in first place with a significant lead in votes. Maxim’s creative process took almost two years. Another challenge was finding a craftsman capable of constructing the sculpture. We approached numerous craftsmen across the country. In the end, the booth is being realized by locksmith Mr. Pokorný from the Znojmo region, whom Maxim calls the bravest locksmith in the Czech Republic.
