With Kryštof Doležal

The installation is a continuation of an already finished painting entitled „Rope without a Soul“, which is also the main and only item on the bill. It is a ticket, a receipt from the purchase of the rope that was used for the hanging.

My friend Tomas, a few years ago, decided to end his life. While cleaning his room, this receipt was found, referring to an act he committed on himself. Years later, I decided to elevate it to a work of art.The fatigue of overwork that my friend Tomas suffered led to major depression and severe conditions that he could no longer fight. And after a short life, all that was left was this piece of paper, a document that demonstrates that it „didn’t cost“ Tomas „much“, „just“ his life.

The installation thus works metaphorically with the question: what is the price of our life? And can the price of life be quantified at all? According to an article in Lidovky from 2010, yes. As follows. If we calculate the average GDP per capita in the Czech Republic and subtract the minimum cost of living, we get about CZK 256,000 per year. The average life expectancy today is over 75 years. On average, a person starts working sometime after the age of 20. This implies that he or she „produces“ wealth of about 13 million crowns in his or her lifetime. In its article from 2016, the portal měšec.cz asked respondents what value they think human life has. Respondents often stated that the value of life cannot be quantified or that it cannot be measured in money. Those who at least tried to quantify human life, in most cases chose the option that it is worth more than CZK 30,000,000. People value their own lives in a very similar way.