PALM SPRINGS BABIES

The “Babies” are Czech artist and provocateur David Černý’s second most widely known public art installation after Metamorphosis, his 30-foot-tall, stainless steel rotating portrait of Franz Kafka in Prague. First presented in 1994 at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, the gargantuan infants have appeared all over the world including stints in England, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and most notably, in the artist’s hometown of Prague where ten Babies crawl up the Žižkov TV Tower and several more reside in front of the Museum Kampa.

Černý’s work is often controversial because it asks us to look deeper into the shadow sides of our global society. The “Babies” series, as it roams around the world, is not meant to reflect site-specific messages but rather delivers a more universal message important to Černý. By placing a barcode on the face of an innocent newborn, symbolic of everything that is precious and vulnerable about life, he is making a statement about dehumanization. For Černý, the barcode is a strong motif. Invented in 1974, it wasn’t widely adopted in Europe until the 1980s.

The tendency to put a number on everything was of concern to Černý then and now, perpetuating harrowing attitudes about life as commodity and existence as an eternal stream of production and consumption. True to fashion, he delivers this concern via sculptures that, in both size and content, are hard to ignore with their ability to provoke thought and jostle us out of our comfort zones. The “Babies” articulate an important wakeup call in opposition to complacency and invite discussion.

This world-class installation was brought to Palm Springs through a collaboration between David Černý, local gallerist Christian Hohmann and Grit Development’s Michael Braun. Braun, who was intrigued by the artist’s work, funded the logistics of transporting and installing the “Babies” for a limited time in what would have otherwise been an empty building site, rejuvenating the space and providing an opportunity for residents and visitors to the area to take part in the dynamic and exciting dialogue that art inspires.

Behind the site you can see the Palm Springs Art Museum. It is a must-see during your stay in Palm Springs. The museum hosts numerous changing exhibitions and a very impressive permanent collection. Don’t miss it! Behind you is the Kimpton Hotel, “The Rowan” with a rooftop bar that is accessible to visitors and allows for a spectacular view of the babies from up high.

The Palm Springs Babies have already become a social media sensation. Please join in and become a part of the conversation. Post your pictures on social media with the hashtag #palmspringsbabies.

more about this artist

David Černý is a world-renowned sculptor from the Czech Republic. He first gained notoriety in 1991 when he was imprisoned after a rogue art project involving a national war memorial, a Soviet tank, in the center of Prague. With the help of fellow students, he painted the tank pink and placed a sculpture depicting a 6’ middle finger on top of it, which resulted in his arrest for public disturbance. For the citizens of Prague it was a welcome act of rebellion against the government and made him an unofficial national hero.

Since then his artistic acts of civil disobedience, grand scale installations, and exhibitions have continued to incite strong reactions worldwide. Creating extreme controversy with his work, this international sculptor has been described as “witty, exciting, kinetic, crass and provocative”. He has been in the national media numerous times, including the BBC list of 20 most controversial works of art.

Černý is the son of a graphic designer father and a mother who was a restorer of art in the National Gallery of Prague. He learned his trade at the Academy of Applied Art in the country’s capital, studied in Boswil on a grant from the Swiss government, and also in New York City at P.S.I Artists Residence New York before taking part in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program.
In 2005, he participated in the Prague Biennale 2 with his work “Shark” - a riff on fellow artist Damian Hirst, which consisted of an image of Saddam Hussein immersed in a tank of formaldehyde. Famously, in a stance against communism in 2015, Černý installed a 30-foot-tall purple hand on a barge in Prague’s Vltava River raising its middle finger directly in front of the castle where Czech president Milos Zeman lived. His works are characteristically bold, courageous and reach into sensitive political, historical and social themes, all sprinkled with the unconventional artist’s sarcastic humor.

In his hometown of Prague alone, Černý has 14 installations in public spaces that have become major public attractions. In 2001 he created a non-profit cultural art and event center in a former 1920’s glass warehouse in Prague, which he named the “Meet Factory”. Černý calls his factory a “multicultural supermarket”, as it houses a theatre, music stage and 16 studios occupied by a total of 30 international artists. His sculptures have been installed all over the world, including several in the US. Most recently he was the featured artist at the annual international art exhibition NordArt in Germany. Černý is also an architect, pilot and actor.

In 2017 Černý visited Palm Springs to meet with art dealer Christian Hohmann, and he fell in love with the desert. After a subsequent meeting with developer Michael Braun, plans for a public commission were hatched.