Léna Virgler is a real firecracker of a personality and it shows throughout her work. Morose scenes mixed with bright pink deer are a reoccurring theme, as is the ghostly self-portrait. When she paints she goes wild, throwing stuff around like a woman possessed, yet on the canvas she has a very delicate stroke, looking almost calculated in design.

I first met Léna at the start of winter at her flat in Prague. She cooked and showed me her paintings. We sat on the couch and she told me about a dream she had a couple of nights before. For about 45 minutes she kept on this surreal tirade mixing in deer stuck in walls, magic shoes a fanatical hotel. It was exhausting but strangely compelling, and in the end when I skipped down the stairs on my way out my mind was swimming, reeling from the first taste of this girl’s unique world.
Recently she held a show at the Cirkus bar in Vrsovice and it was there that I caught up with her about her new work. Continuing from her previous themes she has expanded her medium to include magic markers and coffee. I asked her what the futures of her characters were likely to be.

What’s with the deer?
L: My father built our family house near the forest. We moved there and I spent lot of time in the forest. There were lot of deers, foxes and other animals. And because of this I’ve got really huge inspiration, often I dream about these animals. So they are a part of my childhood, nostalgic.

Will we ever see something of the dog?
L: Yes, I’m going to illustrate a book for kids about Artur (Léna’s dog). I’m really excited about this theme. It will be a short story about his life.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
L: Its not the Czech Republic… Maybe space, a forest or another story. It’s in the future where I live now, what will be in 5 years is in the stars… too far away to tell.

Check out Léna’s website: www.lenavirgler.com to see more of her work and find future shows around town. She is also buying a tattoo gun and will start working with that in a month so roll up your sleeves for that one.

Léna Virgler
Cirkus bar
Krymská 18, Praha 10
until 3. 5. 2010