Experiences of war

The Czechoslovakian Communist Party seized full power in a coup d’état (or coup) in February of 1948. This resulted in immediate repression of Czechoslovakia and was the beginning of four decades of communist rule in the country. During this time, thousands of Czechoslovakians faced political persecution for a variety of freedoms - freedoms which today are considered basic human rights. It was illegal to emigrate across the political boundary which divided Europe, essentially those controlled by the Soviet Union and non-Soviet controlled areas, this is known as the Iron Curtain.

Prior to the Communist coup Czech artists created a variety of works from figurative to abstract as they were connected with the West and aware of such movements as Cubism and Surrealism. However, the Soviet influence on fine art was overwhelming. Travel and communication between the art worlds ceased and artists were forced to adapt to the new political climate, creating works that adhered to socialist ideals only. In essence, these works of art were considered propaganda; biased or misleading and used for political persuasion.

After the coup, artists who challenged this new order by creating works of art that could make people politically aware were considered enemies, as they defied the Communist regime. Fearing the loss of their creative and personal freedoms, Dušan and Voitre Marek along with Vera Podpěrová (Voitre’s fiancé) decided to flee Czechoslovakia. They were helped across the border by two guides and the Marek’s paternal cousin Milena Koliašová. Milena worked for the Czech Resistance and helped hundreds of people flee before an informer reported her actions to the Communist Party. She received a sentence of twenty-two years, of which she served ten, her husband was sentenced to a year of heavy labour for not reporting his wife to authorities and their children were denied a tertiary education.

In March 1948, Dušan, Voitre and Vera reached the assembly point for those seeking political asylum in Allied Occupied Germany and were taken to the Dillenburg displaced persons’ camp where they remained until July. Birth of Love and The Voyage by Dušan were created during his time in the camp and were painted on wooden slats that were removed from the base of their beds. These works survived, as did a series of drawings in a sketchbook by Voitre. These portraits captured the people he encountered in the camp and were accompanied by fragments of text in Czech.

On 4 August 1948, the Marek brothers sailed from Bremerhaven, Germany aboard SS Charlton Sovereign, arriving in Sydney on 29 October, while Vera travelled to Australia on the SS Wooster Victory from Genoa.

On 15 March Hitler’s forces invaded and occupied Czech lands before the Second World War had been officially declared, on 1 September 1939. Voitre was twenty years old and Dušan had just celebrated his thirteenth birthday. All members of the Marek family were affected by the Second World War.

In 1943, the brothers’ uncle, Antonín Marek, who was the father of their close cousin Milena (Miloslava) Koliašová (née Marková, 1915–2010), died of starvation in a concentration camp. According to Milena’s son Miroslav Kolias, Antonín was working as part of an entertainment troupe that staged puppet shows when he was reported to authorities for discussing the dangers of Nazism. The entire family was arrested. After pleading with authorities, Milena, her two sisters, Jara and Bozena, and her mother were sent to a ‘slave labour’ camp, while Antonín was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

- Elle Freak, Assistant Curator, Australian Paintings & Sculpture