Ragged bark

ANNA ROČŇOVÁ ∙ JAN BOHÁČ

Exhibition: 19 June - 3 September 2023

Ragged bark
Feet descend the basement stairs, nose smells damp and musty, and eyes are blinded for a second by the light of the bulb that has just come on. It takes them a moment to adjust to the harsh light. He walks over to a large cupboard at the very back of the wall. Her hands open and her eyes scan the contents. There are no shelves, hangers or clothes but there is a bear in it. She stands motionless with her eyes fixed in front of her. Paws raised up as if in surrender. His eyes stare into the bear's, but not for long. Hands take the bear off the hook it's hanging from. First the legs, then the arms, the torso, and finally the head bites into the bear's skin. The bear staggers in place for a moment. He walks to the door with a lurching gait, fumbles for the light switch, and the light goes out.
Moments later, the bear walks out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He walks slowly around the kitchen, stops at the bulletin board, and looks at the family photos pinned in the upper corners with pink plastic-headed pins into the cork board. He walks on to the front door, takes the handle and walks out.

It's a humid summer night. A bear walks down the sidewalk and gets into a black luxury sedan. The lights come on, the rear-view mirrors turn sideways, and the engine quietly kicks in, setting the car in motion. Slowly it drives through the satellite town until it finally turns onto the main road. Two cones of light move through the darkness, illuminating the black asphalt with a white centre line. Orange highlights pass in the field of view to the right, and after a moment, trees and branches.

The car turns onto a forest road, the wheels skid for a while until one of them crashes into a pothole for good, spinning in place and sending streams of mud flying from behind it. The bear switches off the engine, opens the door and, without closing it behind him, sets off on all fours into the woods. After a moment, he stops, raises his nostrils and moves on, much faster. As the first rays of sunlight begin to penetrate through the treetops, he reaches a clearing in the middle of which there are other bears. The cubs play and the bears circle around. Occasionally they join in the game or scratch their furry coats against the bark of the trees. When the pack notices a newcomer, they freeze for a moment. The cubs get the command and quickly move as far away from the newcomer as possible. He took a step forward. The biggest of the bears, the leader of the pack, came out to meet him and stood at the back. He raised his huge paws above his head, claws glinting. He roared. Eyes peeked out from behind the newcomer's mouth and gazed hopefully into the giant's mouth. But he sees only two rows of fangs and a fleshy tongue.
JB