Nostalgia
1992
CHS – 109 polyester resin, ‘Glasurit’ pearly enamel / other components 120 W speaker,
low frequency sound
National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
Academy of Fine Arts, U Hybernů, Prague, Czech Republic, 1993; Prisma Art Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic, 1993; 10 Jahre, Alexander‐Dorner‐ ‐Kreis, Kubus, Hannover, Germany, 1993; Europa 94, Junge Europäische Kunst in München, Munich, Germany, 1994; Hi‐tech / Umění, the Brno House of Arts, Brno, 1996; Crossings, Galerie/Gallery Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic, 1999
Nostalgia is formed by three meters high white shell which invites the visitor to a closer contact through its atypical opening. The name refers to Andrei Tarkovsky movie. The National Gallery in Prague had purchased this work of art when Díaz studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and it is the work of art of the youngest artist in the collection. Although it is an early work it has premised several essential characteristics of Díaz’s work. It shows his interest in nature and its connection with human creativity on which the physical shape draws. The shape interconnects the nature and the ideal of golden section and Fibonacci sequence. However, the form is only a background of a large repertoire of significance. The shell is a model of dwelling or rather space which can a person use in the metaphorical sense. The visitor has an opportunity to merge with the shell so that a specific, virtually non-discernable, reproduced sound can be perceived. This intimate experience, which offers the full experience of the artwork only after the visitor directly participates, is the most fundamental principle of Díaz’s communication.