Art Talent Show

The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze; AVU) is the oldest art college in the Czech Republic. Every year it has an entrance assessment for new for new applicants. Art Talent Show documents this process as it is applied to a small group of prospective students. The budding artists have a week or so to showcase their talents and personalities in a fairly informal setting. The lucky ones will gain acceptance into the Academy.

The film opens with one of the receptionists sitting in the porter's box, waiting for the new intake to arrive. Throughout the film a receptionist will have to explain to someone how to use the front door. This faint running joke is somewhat of a metaphor for what the teaching staff are doing.

The camera is passive, mostly still. The shots are always well composed. It watches the students and the teaching staff, it doesn't intrude. The academics conduct the assessment by talking to the student, quizzing them, prompting them, provoking them and setting them creative tasks. They want the students to look at and question themselves and their motivations, to look at the definition of art and the constraints on their work. Outside of the appraisal they bemoan the applicants tedious', cliched art, naïve ideas and lack of self examination, the things they've seen in every previous assessment. For the staff the process is emotionally wearing, they know that they will have to reject a number of candidates. They are going to be trashing hopes and dreams.

What makes Art Talent Show special is the way it captures human moments: a snippet of interpersonal communication in a meeting; a conversation; someone stretching off and doing a little half-hearted dance after a long day. It's not so much about the competition to get into the school or the assessments but the little details that humanise. The film is made up of snapshots of the people as they are. It's quite affectionate towards its subjects, the staff and students.

At the end of Art Talent Show you don't see the fates of the applicants, who makes it in and who doesn't. There is no dramatic conclusion. The final shot of the film is manky, greasy water draining from a large sink to reveal dirty brushes and pallet knives. The shot ends, flecks of red paint burst out of the sediment at the bottom of the sink and bleed towards the drain in a final cinematographical flourish.