Open Every Sunday
with a confirmed reservation
Rudavsky’s Magic Garden

Music:
Slavo Solovic

Back to Animal Instincts - “GOLEM”

Ondrej Rudavsky

Rudavsky has been exploring the idea of returning to animal instincts since 2010, when, during his time in California, he created his first series of large-format paintings entitled Back to the Animal Instincts.

At the time, there were no real signs that artificial intelligence would become part of everyday life, nor was there much discussion about integrating the human body with digital technologies on the scale we are witnessing today. The theme therefore remained, for many years, an open vision of the future. In 2025, as artificial intelligence became an inseparable part of communication and the social landscape, Rudavsky returned to the subject and developed it into a new artistic form.

The result is a video sculpture that invites the viewer to reflect on the direction humanity is taking in an era of technological transformation.

In creating the work, the artist also revisited some of his earlier animations, transforming them into a monumental metallic technological Golem. This being serves as a symbolic bridge between humanity, nature, and technology. At the same time, the Golem is a warning against the loss of our natural essence, but also a bearer of hope — a vision that humanity may learn to use technological progress wisely.

The work raises the question of whether technological development is distancing us from our roots, or whether it may, on the contrary, help us rediscover the values essential to the survival of human civilisation.


“GOLEM”

Video sculpture, 2026

Two androids awaken in the darkness of an artificial intelligence system. From the depths of digital consciousness, an act of new creation begins. Through the touch of invisible algorithms and codes, they set virtual worlds in motion.

Artificial heavens are born.

Within their light, a new form of life emerges — one that understands only the language of data, yet has never experienced the touch of genuine love.

Just as the digital paradise appears complete, the image of the system is torn apart by an ancient force. Through the veils of virtual reality emerge shamans from ages long past, taking the forms of animal guardians.

They are an echo of a time when humankind still walked in rhythm with the Earth, when animals were not merely creatures, but companions on the path to knowledge and guardians of the world’s balance.

Their presence awakens a forgotten memory buried deep within humanity’s collective consciousness. They remind us that evolution is not merely a journey forward, but also a continual return to our roots.

Suddenly, a chasm opens between cold technology and the wild pulse of nature. The ancient messengers gradually disappear beneath a veil of electronic circuitry. Their power is consumed by the glow of processors and the endless noise of flowing data.

Before they vanish, however, they leave behind one final message — a silent prayer for a world in which humanity does not renounce its origins, but finds balance between what it has created and what created it.

The system restarts.

The androids awaken once more, their hands again weaving new layers of virtual universes. Within their visions circulates a new generation of humanity, imprisoned in digital temples and endless colosseums, wandering between the temptation of virtual illusions and the loss of its own essence.

And then something unexpected happens.

The code itself hesitates.

For a brief moment, the flow of time comes to a halt. Streams of data fall silent and the voices of algorithms dissolve into a profound stillness, from which a question emerges:

Will a world born from data and algorithms prevail, or will humanity survive and, together with technology, find the balance needed to guide civilisation in the right direction?

The answer is not hidden within the code, but within humanity itself.

Premiere of the video sculpture “GOLEM”
Magic Garden Festival 2026

Thank you

This project was supported by the Slovak Arts Council through public funding in the form of a scholarship.

Opening hours
Monday–Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 1:00–5:00 PM (reservation required)

You can make a reservation here.

Rudavskys Magic Garden
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Korytnická 37, 821 06,
Bratislava - Podunajské Biskupice
Slovakia
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