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Milan Mazúr graduated from Prague's Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague (UMPRUM) and The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (AVU), where he focused on intermedial strategies. Today he works as one of the two heads of the Multimedia studio at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the WBU in Pilsen. Together with Viktor Takáč, he supports students in finding their own visual language and working with a wide range of media – from video and film to installations to virtual reality. Read in the interview.

The title of the exhibition evokes a certain existential feeling. How does this motif resonate with the theme of globalized society, which you deal with in your work? How is the exhibition conceived?

Together with the curator Petr Krátký, we created the exhibition as a journey through space, where the viewer gradually discovers the indicators of his journey to the sun. For me, this motif symbolizes a new beginning and is also related to the theme of migration - here the sun represents hope and a vision of a better future. A key element is the projection of a figure walking through the landscape at sunset, which expresses a moment of pause and reflection through song. After the opening, we prepared a guided tour where we talked openly about the exhibition's themes.

I have been following the topic of migration, which is still controversial in our country closely since 2019 - my aunt in Italy accommodates about twenty migrants and helps them with their integration. I try to reflect the things I know from my immediate surroundings in my work. For example, I found it interesting that migrants are often criticized for wearing headphones, but in fact they wear them because they are on the phone with their families, who they often don't meet for a very long time. It is important for me to never judge these situations from one side only. What interests me in art is precisely this uncertainty – the moment when a project opens up questions instead of giving clear answers.

The title of the exhibition may also evoke the ancient myth of Icarus, who uses wax wings to approach the sun. Could this image also be applied to the situation of migrants who want to get somewhere to burn?

I don't know if they will get burned, but for me, approaching the sun symbolizes a romantic longing for the unattainable - a utopian perspective of seeking new planets, new spaces in life, new hopes. It's a psychological journey towards warmth, comfort, fulfillment. And whether it's catharsis or burn, everyone experiences it differently.

How is the role of the artist changing at a time when technology offers new possibilities for artistic expression? What role does the artist play in society today?

In our field, where different disciplines and technologies intersect, we are constantly balancing between media and their possibilities. The theme of deepfake and the indistinguishability of reality from fiction is a hot topic today. That's why I created videos in the exhibition that make the viewer uncomfortable - asking whether they are watching reality or a fictional world. Technology can thus be a tool to question perceived reality.

The viewer's uncertainty opens up a space for self-reflection and questions that cannot be easily raised by other media. If approached critically, this approach can be beneficial and rewarding.

Do you ask yourself ethical questions when working with new technologies? Whether it's in artistic or pedagogical activity?

There are always risks - with the advent of the camera, the authenticity of the author's output was addressed. Today, the concept of an original work is relative. It is important to be responsible in the choice and the way of using AI, which offers new possibilities of expression.

Together with Viktor Takač, create an environment for experimental approaches in the Multimedia studio on Sutnarka. What exactly does working with students look like in search of their distinctive visual language?

As part of consultations with students, we try to think about the possibilities of how to update genre conventions. As a filmmaker, I consider it important to point out historical techniques and look for ways to respond to them. I think part of studying is gaining knowledge about history and trying to find new possibilities experimentally. In the studio, Viktor Takáč and I focus on experimenting with new possibilities for working with media - whether it is moving image, sound, spatial installations or digital media.

The Multimedia Studio at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, which Milan Mazur runs together with Viktor Takač, creates an environment for progressive authorial approaches in the context of contemporary art and the moving image. Those interested in master's studies can send applications until April 30, 2025.

The exhibition Getting as close to the sun as possible in the White Unicorn Gallery in Klatovy will last until the end of March 31, 2025.