The installation comprises a car destroyed and burned during the war in Ukraine. Civilian cars have provided cruel testimony of the terrible tragedy which continues to unfold and are a direct witness to war in the 21st century. The car was taken directly from the war-torn regions and offers a view onto the atrocious situation in Ukrainian cities, and testifies to the stories of Ukrainian citizens who lost not only their cars, but often all their possessions and, in the worst case, even loved ones. The project was presented as part of last year’s Signal festival, when Prague’s Mariánské square hosted a number of such existential objects – wrecks.

Maxim Velčovský (* 1976) graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague where, between 2011–2021, he also directed the Ceramics and Porcelain Studio. In 2002 and along with Jakub Berdych, he founded the QUBUS design studio and designed a number of legendary products under its banner. As designer, he enjoys working with various materials, using them in new contexts and challenging the limits of applied art. His work is represented in many museal and private collections around the world, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Victoria Albert Museum in London, the Mudac in Lausanne, Neue Sammlung in Munich, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague and the Museum of Applied Arts in Brno. Since 2011, he holds the position of Artistic Director at Lasvit, in 2020 receiving the prize for the best Creative Director in the world from the Interior Design Best of Year Awards.