David Přílučík (b. 1991) is Czech visual and intermedia artist and conceptual explorer working in performance, found footage and video.

In his SSG solo exhibition Taxonomy of Fame Přílučík presents his latest video Show Me a Hero exposed in two modes of presentation. First, in the aggressive screensaver mode. Second, in the private performance presentation mode.

The video is on the cult of snapshotting celebrities, obviously. It describes a rather strange situation of pathological attachment of an individual to a situation, in this case generated in a mob and accelerated by mass hysteria.

But more than just that; it describes the more general experience when we are stuck on a place we have put so much energy and time into, unable to detach from the already passed situation. Instead, we tend to keep awaiting the critical moment that has already passed.

A situation many of us are being stuck in.

The more superficial level of the video is about the paradox caused by the distribution of images in our digital era. About—with a mobile phone camera in our hands and by simple physical gestures—transforming the existence of another human being into just an image among other images. The more the celebrities (or “mystical heroes of our time”) are captured, the less they belong into real world. And the more they become interchangeable and disappearing.

The video can be downloaded here for further usage following the performance manual:

1/ the video shall be downloaded into your smartphone2/ the voice-over text shall be memorized

3/ the video shall be presented to your environment via your mobile phone, accompanied by the by heart recitation of the memorized voice-over text

4/ the prosody of your voice shall imply the narration, not explanation

5/ during the presentation, you ought to adopt the natural gestures typical for your standard smartphone usage (such us gestures of selfie taking, showing the pictures or messages to your friends etc.); the performance shall by no means be theatrical but give the civil and natural impression

The voice-over text:

During his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Czech Republic, David Přílučík studied in the studios of Ruth Noack (2013), Simon Wachsmuth (2014), Jiří Lindovský and Tomáš Vaněk (both 2010–2016). In 2015 he attended the educational exchange at the Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Jerusalem. He is a member of the alternative education initiative of students from various art schools Studio without pedagogue. In 2015, he was the finalist of Other Visions competition (the only competition of contemporary Czech moving images of film and video) and took part at the Now&After International Video Art Festival in Moscow, Russia.

curated by: Mary Meixner

vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user17105661