Unveiling of the statue

On June 8, 2023, we proudly unveiled our first major commission under the Artist’s Hero initiative – a custom-made sculpture titled Křídla (Wings), created specifically for the Kesselbauer residential project in Bratislava.

The artwork was created by academic sculptor MgA. Róbert Palúch, and the ceremony's distinguished guests included PROXENTA CEO Pavol Kožík, Head of the Bratislava Culture Department Marek Popovič, and project ambassador Veronika Vágnerová.

With this act, we "released" the artwork into the world to enrich the public space of downtown Bratislava and elevate the aesthetic experience of modern living at the Kesselbauer residence.

Read more about the sculpture unveiling ceremony on the website MagazínX: Átrium projektu Kesselbauer dotvorilo originálne umelecké dielo.

Concept and philosophy of the sculpture

The work of Róbert Palúch is typically characterized by drawing upon everyday objects and placing them into new contexts. In this case, the inspiration came from a simple Bakelite door handle, whose shape and movement when opening a door resemble the beating of a bird's wings as it takes flight. The result is an object symbolizing the lightness of ascent, a desire for change, and a shift toward something higher. At the same time, the handle refers to the act of transition or opening—both the doors of a new home and a new stage in life.

The sculpture consists of five fiberglass wings—handles ranging from 2.3 to 4 meters in length, mounted on steel pillars 3.5 to 7 meters high.

Realization of the project

Cooperation with PROXENTA began in June 2022. At the beginning, we analyzed the client's needs, created the brief, and organized an open call for academic artists, which was entered by 8 Slovak and Czech artists with a total of 14 art concepts. The submitted concepts were evaluated in July 2022 by an expert jury composed of representatives of the developer, project architects, and other invited experts. The Wings sculpture emerged as the winner.

Before the actual realization, it was necessary to create a digital model, draw up technical documentation, ensure static analysis, and solve safe anchoring, with the entire project management directed by Artist's Hero. The actual production of the artwork took the artist six months and required hundreds of hours of work in a studio at Prague's Pragovka. The sculpture was successfully installed in May 2023.

Acknowledgement of Cooperation

This project would not have been possible without the wonderful collaboration with artist Róbert Palúch, who constantly surprises us with his original perspective on the world. A huge thank you also goes to PROXENTA, which not only creates a unique modern living experience enhanced by art, but is also committed to supporting the young generation of academic artists and publicly presenting their work.

A sincere thank you goes especially to Magdaléna Dorčáková and Katarína Kvasnicová, who participated in the realization of the project on behalf of Proxenta, as well as to the architects from the Beionde studio, specifically Vladimír Sekera, who helped with the final details and the visualization of the sculpture.

We also thank all our partners in the fields of law, logistics, technical documentation, and insurance, who contributed to making Křídla take flight. Projects like this bring us joy and a deeper meaning in our mission to unlock the value of art in public spaces.