The exhibition with the unconventional title Something, was created as a "visible intervention" in the space of the KabinetT gallery, after the previous event Nothing, which was a small imperceptible intervention in Mr. Št'ovíček's gallery in Brno.  So how to define this Something, this unknown X - when, perhaps, we suspect its existence, but have no clear idea, only a general hunch and hope of knowing the state of affairs - how to interpret this X in the art world?  In the gallery, Ambrůz has brought in parts of the common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), which in their shape resemble deer, snakes, bushes or trees that the artist has come across while combing through forest stands. 
Digression:
Jan Ambrůz lives in Šarovo. There would be nothing strange about that. However, apart from the fact that he is a sculptor and a professor at FaVU BUT in Brno, what is particularly defining and important is that he is a "farmer and walker" with a strong relationship to the landscape, hills, paths and trails. This turns out to be the primary determinant of his artistic work and social role - as we could see at the exhibition "other landscapes" last year in the Municipal Theatre Zlín or at the lecture in the František Bartos Library. Thus Ambrůz takes care of paths overgrown by age and human neglect, plants tree plantations - sculptures, organizes a competition for the most beautiful threshing floor or marks his radius of action with found artifacts or mirrors that he patches into the bark of trees after cutting off branches.

Back on the road:
But simply displaying the pieces of wood would be somewhat insufficient. It is also important to be aware of the naturally occurring shape - perfect in its own way, of its potential artistic possibilities, and to complement it with the material that is classic for the authors - glass or mirror. Here a rather nice switch occurs, when in hunting terminology a mirror (star, giant) describes the light fur around the anus of a game animal, in the case of a snake we are standing in front of its throat. Mirrors can give signals, information, they can be certain reflexes of astonishment or recognition. Perhaps a mirror can help us to adjust our gaze to something, or a different point of view... just like the photographs in which Ambrose documents his activities. Mirrors can multiply, invert, distort things. But they need one essential element to function - light (in the case of animals, also eyes or candles). This completes the imaginary circle, whereby by properly illuminating the surface of the mirror we can see something obscure, at first sight transparent. I wish you and I to discover this - hopefully pleasant - surprise.
The destination?
This exhibition is a mere stop in time for Jan Ambrůz. For him, it is clear that he has embarked on a never-ending journey, full of work and struggle with "windmills", natural and vegetative conditions and, above all, with human stupidity and misunderstanding. I would like to wish him determination and perseverance in finding the little things and the nitty-gritty that are hidden to others. And that he succeeds in completing his sculptural project of "another landscape".

Martin Beníček
www.jinakrajina.eu