HR GIGER | METAMORPHOSES
In collaboration with the HR Giger Museum in Gruyères, Switzerland, Carmen Maria Giger, and collector Marco Witzig, the South Bohemian Gallery is preparing a remarkable exhibition at the Castle Riding Hall in Hluboká nad Vltavou, showcasing the exceptional talents of HR Giger. Best known for his contributions as a painter, sculptor and designer, Giger is widely celebrated as the creator of the artistic movement known as biomechanical surrealism and the iconic film monster, Alien. Giger has been hailed as the greatest visionary among 20th-century artists. His unique style emerged from surrealism, infused with post-catastrophic scepticism and existentialism brought about by the two world wars.
The title Metamorphoses reflects not only the artist’s diverse oeuvre but also pays homage to Giger’s drawings inspired by Franz Kafka’s famous short story The Metamorphosis. HR Giger was a great admirer of the Czech-German literary scene and in addition to being drawn to the works of Kafka, he was also fascinated by the magical world of Gustav Meyrink.
The profound connection between Giger and the Czech environment was most notably forged through the eminent psychiatrist and writer, Stanislav Grof. In his book The Visionary World of HR Giger, Grof describes the positive message of universal spirituality conveyed through visionary art. Grof explains how visionary artists capture the contemporary birth trauma of the world’s soul in their art, emphasizing how art creates a new context for appreciating and understanding visionary art while awakening our consciousness.
The exhibition will present Giger’s work in the broadest possible context, including numerous drawings, airbrush paintings and sculptures. Among the highlights will be a selection of his iconic Necronomicon realisations, which captivated director Ridley Scott, leading Giger to design the unforgettable Alien, for which he received the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1980.
Covering over nine hundred square meters, this generous showcase will undoubtedly be the largest exhibition of Giger’s works in Central Europe to date.
The exhibition will be open to visitors from 11 June to 19 November 2023. It will be accessible daily, with opening hours from 9:00 to 18:00.
On 3-5 November, 10-12 November and 17-19 November the opening hours will be extended from 9:00 to 20:00.