Juliana Höschlová

May 18, 2023
9 min read

Juliana Höschlová's art is a profound reflection on contemporary social and community issues. She explores the relationship between people and their environment, and the impact of consumer society on our planet.Through her art, Höschlová seeks to raise awareness about environmental issues, while also addressing topics related to care and community. Her projects in public spaces, such as "Music album for broken buildings" and "Gerson's Miracle," demonstrate her commitment to creating meaningful interactions between people and their surroundings.

"Growing up in a family where community involvement was a tradition, and being raised with a sense of responsibility towards others, these two directions naturally merged in my journey."

Juliana Höschlová's project "I'll be missing you" is a performance that honors the Transgas building, a brutalist palace that underwent a reconstruction in the 1990s by her family's company. As an artist, Höschlová coped with the personal loss of the building's demolition by creating a funeral-like event.

She organized a group of people to sing pop songs, including the titular song by Puffy Daddy, Faith Evans & 112, as a tribute to the building that had lost its value and finally succumbed to demolition.

Through this performance, Höschlová pays homage to Czech brutalism and questions the societal value of architectural heritage.

Reflective Creativity: Juliana Höschlová's Artistic Vision for Social Awareness and Connection

What came first in your life? Artwork or social work?

I don't really distinguish between creativity and social intervention. But perhaps my creativity comes from childhood experiences with classic childhood activities, such as dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, and creating art.

As for social intervention, I'm not sure when it began for me, but I can probably trace it back to my family. There seems to be a line of women in my family, including my mom and my grandmother, who have always responded in some way to their surroundings and become involved where they lived.

They organized activities, brought about systemic change, and took an active interest in their community. To some extent, it was a family tradition, and my connection to social issues may have also stemmed from growing up in a religious family. The idea of helping the weak and building relationships with others was always emphasized. I think that these two directions have flowed naturally together for me, and have guided my work in social intervention.

Can you describe your relationship to creativity?

It's a complicated relationship, I guess. Creativity is a deep part of myself, so it's something I can't live without, and at the same time, I'm constantly running into the fact that I can't fully utilize it. I realize that this is a narrow view, as creativity can be used in all industries, not just in fine arts. When I'm in the studio and working on my projects, it feels different from when I'm out in a meadow tending to a garden or talking to people and figuring things out. However, I'm starting to realize that this is a pigeonholing distinction, and I don't want to feel guilty for not having enough time for one thing or another.

The thinking process is constant, and I bring ideas and observations into the framework of the studio where I start to physically represent them. It can be stressful, especially when I have to sacrifice other things, but it's satisfying when visitors understand the subject I am dealing with, or even better, if they can identify with it.

Working with the community is a different experience from creating alone in the studio, and it can be tiring even to organize collective making. I realized that I wasn't keeping up with the last project I was working on, and even the fact that I was doing it made it suffer. I'm trying to erase these separating frames and be more open to using my creativity in all aspects of my life.

I think it's important to find a balance between creative work and other aspects of life, and not to put too much pressure on ourselves to constantly produce and create. Creativity can be applied in many different areas of life, not just in the arts, and it's important to recognize and value that. It's also important to remember that creativity is a constant process of thinking and observing, not just a task to be completed in a designated space or time.

Working with communities can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be challenging and require a lot of coordination and collaboration. It's important to listen to and respect the needs and desires of the community, and to work together to create something that is meaningful and impactful for everyone involved.

Overall, I believe that creativity is an essential part of life, but it's important to find a healthy balance and not to let it consume us or cause unnecessary stress. By valuing creativity in all aspects of life and recognizing its constant presence, we can lead more fulfilling and meaningful lives.

Can you describe your relationship to social work?

Besides my art practice, I've also worked in the non-profit sector as a social worker. I find this work very meaningful, and I think there's often a theme of change in both my social work and art projects. It can be very draining working for others and keeping healthy barriers and time for myself. I alternate between being out for everyone and then it breaks down, and I have to pull back and be within myself. I find myself between two extremes that I'm trying to balance, still unsuccessfully. I find that it's out and in, out and in. When I'm working outwardly with people, I forget about myself. And obviously, you get burnt out and you can't do it. It has to be inward. I just can't do it any other way. Before the pandemic, the energy was such that I was doing a lot of outward work. Karaoke performances, and we had that maybe every week, which was terribly demanding. And now, I don't feel I have the internal energy to do it.

Isn't it because those topics are overwhelming?

In my work for the climate movement, I feel like it's different from my art projects. With my art projects, I have a more personal relationship, and they often feel like performance pieces. I need to have an inner flow of energy to handle all the production, documentation, and expansion of the project. But this energy is not there all the time. It takes a lot of energy to do that. Working with people can be very demanding, even with internal work like working with Ukrainians. There were language barriers, and it took time for them to get familiar with the project. It was challenging, and I found myself very tired.

Which of the fields fulfills you more?

I'm thinking about how thematically, my work is interconnected whether I'm working for a person in need or creating art. The two spheres influence each other. For example, I work for the climate movement, and that theme is also reflected in my art projects. It's hard to say whether I'm more interested in processing the theme in my work for those in need or in my own projects. In my personal work, I typically sketch it out, but it often changes. When working in nonprofits, I often gain experience that I wouldn't have otherwise through organizations with years of methodologies. It's rewarding, but it also requires some re-education to avoid causing more harm than good. I have a lot of respect for that process. For instance, I once worked in a low threshold club in a Youth Home project, but I had to leave because I didn't feel qualified enough to work with street children. I respected the work enough to make it effective. Who else can understand the issues and "unsystem" of life on the streets than someone who has spent time there?

Can the combination of the two, creative sector and art sector, be problematic in any way?

I guess I'd just add, for example, the arrival of refugees from Ukraine. There's a field here, where one could use creativity as an artist to create some sort of accompanying program, to help create leisure activities so they don't have to be in a ten-bed room from morning to night. Getting involved in a project is fine. I can imagine some artists can have this “saving” mode in a way of: "I can help out here terribly and create a project with them". This is where I find the alarming moment of realizing how one's own ego comes into it. When I was doing my PhD with a topic of participation. the “Jesus effect “enters into it, "I'm going to save everybody here and help you all" but you must be experienced and well trained while working with refugees who are deeply traumatized.

I'm not a psychologist or a social worker. I would personally deal with it by bringing in other people who can cover it. And It's also important to ask the question how to present it and if at all? To what extent is it helping and to what extent is it exploiting the "zoo effect". These are delicate and thin planes. And I think in those projects that have interventions in social groups, that's often where it comes up. But it's good to look at it in depth and realize that there are some patterns to it. I would be careful.

"...working in the non-profit sector as a social worker gives me a sense of purpose and allows me to make a tangible impact. However, finding balance and avoiding burnout is a constant challenge. "

Is asking for reflection manipulation?

I'll give you the example of Katherine Gray, who kind of manipulated and pushed these people to do what she wanted. I don't agree with that, but even a negative example can be instructive.

How do you determine your target audience?

I think it depends on the project. For instance, with the sewing project, it's specifically for women who are disadvantaged in some way. There's a real issue with finding work in the mountains, where I live, and it's mostly about physical labor. In the past, people worked in the local factories, but that's not the case anymore. Nowadays, many women clean apartments, houses or work in tourist services. I was searching for someone who wanted to earn something and had time to do it. Many people lost their jobs due to COVID, so I wanted to provide an opportunity. Regarding the singing to buildings project in Budapest, I held an open call for women. They were tasked with selecting a building they had a personal relationship with, perhaps where they were born or walked past every day and sing to it. It was a way to use empathy and caring attributes. One participant chose a children's surgery and found a song they wanted to pass on.

As for karaoke, I don't choose the band. It's an open space where people come, and the regularity of the events attracts the same people.

Do you think art can address pressing social issues? And if so, how?

The problematic word is "address." I might as well amend the question. I don't think art has the superpower to provide solutions. I don't even think that's the expectation. Sometimes it can come off that way. Here's the thing, and let's do it that way. Maybe it's more about the ability to draw attention to something. That comes from being sensitive and not being ignorant of your surroundings. It may even be about creating some sort of community. It could be something between the art of design and architecture, some models to demonstrate some possibilities. I'd be worried about that, although I used to be like "I'm going to change the world", as an artist I can do that, but now I don't think so at all, and I'd be careful how much is helping and how much is my own ego. Ego is not a good foundation.

If a work of art is created that brings about some artistic change, you don't know.

How do you reflect on the fact that the European funds are coming up with a challenge that seeks to connect the artistic and social sectors and encourage their collaboration. Do you think this is a good impulse?

Look speaking from experience as an artist and as a nonprofit sector worker, I know that sometimes we fill out grants and twist the project to make it fit, even if it doesn't naturally fit, just because we have a desire to make it happen. There are challenges to cover, but in the job where I had the most experience with people from excluded localities, none of us had any PJs. It seemed like there was a lot of grafting going on to cover certain activities. You have a project and you need to get some funding for it, so you twist it and bend it to make sure the funding comes in. The arts sector heavily depends on grants and donations, and I don't see a lot of other alternatives. But I do think it's dangerous. Personally, I never got into it myself. It's a question of whether I want to follow a trend or just paint pictures that I can sell, and if I invest in it as a performance, it's the same principle.