Havel, don’t worry, the truth will prevail
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Vladimír Havlík was born on 7 February 1959 in Nové Město na Moravě and grew up in the small village of Nyklovice in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. He came from a family of a miner working in uranium mines and a clerk, and his childhood was influenced by the coexistence of evangelical and Catholic traditions in his family. An important role was played by his grandfather, a shoemaker, an amateur theatre performer and a strong storyteller, who awakened in him a sense of story, imagery and performative action. He spent his childhood in close contact with nature and the countryside, which later reflected in his work. He began his schooling in a one-class school, where his interest in drawing and art work soon became apparent. His friendship with Radek Horáček and a meeting with art historian Jiří Valoch were crucial, which directed him towards action and conceptual art. After grammar school he studied art education and Russian at the Pedagogical University in Olomouc, where he gradually turned to experimental art forms, happenings and actions in the landscape and urban space. The normalization environment, experiences with secret police and a stay in the Soviet Union while studying Russian shaped his critical view of power, ideology and freedom of expression. He understood his own work as a personal and social statement and a way to overcome his inner shyness and seek dialogue with people and the environment. At the time of recording in December 2025, Vladimír Havlík lived and worked in Olomouc.
