The exhibition Heads in Heads by Zlín-based sculptor Radim Hanke maps his recent work. The presented sculpture is the result of long-term and concentrated work on themes that have interested the artist throughout his creative career. The search for answers to the questions of what characterises and transcends man, what takes place in his inner world, is a fundamental element of his work. The process of observing, exploring and ideally finding is constant, shaping the "spiritual" side of the work. The concretization and translation of the reflections into a sculpture, painting or drawing is then the natural outcome and record of the artist's inner self. It is interesting to observe the breadth of Hanke's artistic expression and the journey of the original idea to the final artefact.
In these reflections, we can go in several directions with the artist. One of them, which has continuously accompanied the sculptor since the late 1980s, leads us into the realm of classical figurative work, focusing mainly (as the title of the exhibition suggests) on the head. Technically perfectly mastered, elaborated to all consequences, the portraits always carry a specific story, a message to the surrounding world. Hanke's "message" evokes precisely specified feelings, supported by an appropriate choice of material.  In the Ophelia cycle, we thus find ourselves in a world of melancholy, a silent state of mysterious concentration, veiled and perhaps never spoken words. The relief execution in artificial resin (2006) evokes a tragic story, while the execution in stone (2008/2009) reflects a concrete experience associated with the theme.The bronze head of Harry Potter (2008) also fits into the context of a portrait depicting reality, which is enriched by the "inner life" of the thing itself, a kind of energy field of the artist radiating from the sculpture towards the viewer. The exhibition also presents a diametrically different position of Radim Hanke's work, where the path of creation of the work is lined with the absence of necessary internal relations, simplicity of volumes and shape reduction to the most necessary elements. The material and material artifacts, which are completely different, are deprived of individuality, their "spirituality" is deliberately suppressed, the unifying element has become the basic module or idea of shape, multiplied if necessary. Nevertheless, this level of the work is legitimate (the origins can be found in the 1990s, e.g. in the Carriers series) and the Family series (2008) actually captures the best of this direction - complete minimalism. The third area of Hanke's sculptural work is a seeming middle ground of the previous artistic positions. Again, the figures partly lose their concrete features, the facial and body parts are executed in expressive abbreviation, and the head becomes either the dominant element of the figure or an independent subject in its own right. However, the reduction is not carried to the extreme. But in combination with the theme - the childhood period in a person's life, the meaning becomes very important, specific and disturbs the natural understanding of the world of children.The Little Buddha (2009) invites, both in the visual view and in the subsequent reflection "on the thing itself", to a discussion, a confrontation with Hanke's representation. It should be noted that this is not a first-rate play for effect. The peculiarity of this sculpture is carefully constructed by combining the common idea of a child's figure or head with the transformation of a subject, an idea, into an individual authorial act. It presents a silent testimony to the development of man, his inner and outer transformation and raises the question of the relationship between the lived past and the unknowable future.
Alongside his sculptural work, painting and drawing are important for Radim Hanke. It is the starting point for the creation of sculptures, but it is also an independent artistic expression. His typical fine drawings in graphite dust are an excellent document of the artist's inner world, a kind of diary record of his state of mind. It can be said that the exhibited drawings are a commentary on the individual portrait, while the paintings are an imaginary tangent to the resulting sculpture.

Radim Hanke is one of the classics of the Czech art scene and is intimately familiar with all the problems of sculpture. Interestingly, he is constantly seeking and exploring the possibilities of his expression, not shying away from formal experiments. His specificity is a deep thoughtful elaboration of the theme, with an emphasis on a clear visual message and a desire to "fill matter with spirit".
Martin Beníček