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Various materials and natural products: turtle shell, skull, bones, antlers, beak, snail shells, pumpkin, Plexiglas. Signed “Švankmajer J”. An exhibit of an imaginative creature able to speak to viewers and pull them into an inspired dialogue – this is a perfect example of one of the objects from Jan Švankmajer's Hand-Held Cabinet of Curiosities. Švankmajer's work was predominantly defined by philosophy and creative approaches to Surrealism. Filmmaking is integrally connected with his other work – drawings, collages, frottages, objects, and his unique experiments with tactile art. In this regard, his work is the embodiment of the synergistic effect or, in Surrealistic terms, the universal nature of artistic expression. A leading figure on the Czech film and art scene of the last 40 years, Švankmajer started making films in the 1960s, during the Czech New Wave. His first film, “The Last Trick”, is from 1964. He then focused on short films, combining elements of puppetry, animation and live action. He gained international attention in 1983, when his films from the 1960s were shown at the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA). In 1988 he shot his first feature film, “Alice”, which earned worldwide acclaim. He went on to make several feature films, the latest being “Insects”. From the collection of Ivan Melicherčík. LITERATURE / Ivan Melicherčík, Kabinet Jana Švankmajera, pp. 238–245.