by Bethany Shaffer

Where do we find heroes today? Are they invented or discovered, or are they just part of the natural process of society? Do we even know what “heroism” means anymore? The textbook definition of the word is “remarkable physical or moral courage,” however today heroic qualities seem to range from good-looks to big bank accounts to talent to ability to instigate controversy. We seem to be caught in a crossfire between the classical meaning, which includes mythological gods, soldiers of war, martyrs, and the contemporary cult of hero worship of celebrities and crooked politicians. Provokátor put these questions to an artist whom some may want to label as a hero in the battle against censorship and for artistic freedom.

Provokátor: In your opinion, where do people in today’s society find heroes?

David Černý: Where do they find them? I don’t know. Probably somewhere in movies and TV.

P: Why do people look to the media for their heroes?

DC: Because we don’t have strong, open-minded political leaders and political heroes.

P: How has the idea of heroism changed over the past century?

DC: This is a very complex question. A hero is somebody who is leading and showing people how to behave and someone who is willing to say things which might not be in the interest of everyone. We don’t have heroes today because we are not suffering from wars. We don’t have much danger so there is no need to look for heroes.

P: Are heroes a good idea? Does hero worship lead to inspiration or laziness?

DC: I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I think it is just a natural process.

P: For example, let’s say you have a young art student and this student becomes obsessed with someone like Picasso. Do you think this kind of hero worship will have a positive or a negative influence on the student?

DC: No opinion. That is complete personal thing.  For some it might lead to help their art. For someone else, it might lead to copying. It’s completely personal.

P:  How would you feel if people labeled you a hero, especially after a situation such as the censorship issue in Bielsko Biala?

DC: Bullshit. Look, this might change in the next 20 years but right now I don’t see in the Euro-American region any artist who could call himself a hero. At the end of Communism, there were people who suffered because of their ideas. They truly suffered.

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