The Bust of František Filip constitutes an homage to a unique person, as well as an emphatic portrait of a family friend. Rather than reproducing a realistic depiction, ceramics artist Johana Hnízdilová chose to emphatically portray František Filip’s inspiring character. Considering that the portraited man was born without arms, after weeks of experimentation, the artist decided to create the work with her own feet. She created the bust after many unsuccessful attempts, partly experiencing the difficulty of such a handicap.

Johana Hnízdilová (* 1999) is a student of the Ceramics and Porcelain Studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. She has been developing her talent for clay-working since she was ten years old, when she first realized she would become a ceramicist. Her work transcends applied ceramics, venturing towards other artistic disciplines like graffiti, sculpture, installations, performance, electronic music and graphic design which she used to study in the past. She draws on her knowledge of graphic design also in her emphasis on ornamentation, line use and color schemes, which are so characteristic for Hnízdilová‘s works.