Hanka and Martin Jelínek

Svobodná Chalupa

Hanka and Martin Jelínek live in the small village of Krásné u Sněžného. They met at the Department of Education at the Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc. Martin later graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Brno Environmental Studio, led by Vladimír Merta and Marian Palla. After moving into a Baroque-era parish house in Krásné, they both started inviting friends from other regions to stage various events. Despite the locality’s seclusion, they would network with people in the congenial atmosphere of neighborly get-togethers, where a “neighbor” might be someone from next door, or someone coming from quite far away. They have hosted exhibitions in the local cultural space Galerie na kraji Kraje, always featuring one local artist and another from “farther away.” The Jelíneks organize a symposium whose goal is to set up a line of totems along one of the valley roads. This year they picked up where they left off, organizing exhibitions and celebrations in the local church and its surroundings. These activities are largely about meeting and exchange, with art functioning as a framework, providing a shared, sensuous backdrop for social interaction. Both Jelíneks were active as teachers at the Elementary Art School in Nové Město na Moravě, where Hanka teaches to this day, while Martin largely dedicates his time to renovating wooden furniture or historical items — he often receives commissions to work on church interiors. Hanka sometimes uses ceramics as her medium of choice, whereas Martin creates paintings full of universal symbolism and personal mythology. They practice art in its broadest sense and consider it a vehicle for living a meaningful life.