Vandal vase – Wallenstein Garden

Prague is full of magical, mysterious corners, but also dark places where you'd better not go. All this mystery is still happening today, not that the world was more mysterious in the old days, it's just that we humans are less observant. And maybe it's even harder for us to see/feel when everything is under the onslaught of ads, tourists, noise, etc. From summer to autumn, I went to the garden at different times of the day and in different weather, observing it and its surroundings along the way. Again, every scene means something or refers to something.
For me, signage in public spaces is the absolute foundation of any vandal's vase, I admire graffiti, for me it belongs in the city, especially tags - urban calligraphy🩷 However, significant landmarks deserve cleanliness, which the city's writers honor.

Every time I include a familiar tag in my image, I firmly hope the writers don't get mad at me. To me, tags are a natural part of a city, they create the right genius loci of a place. And I try to capture that mood in my own way. This vase is the story of another hidden garden in Mala Strana, where carp turn into mermaids, orchids grow into towers and monsters emerge from the walls.

Photo: Anna Pleslová