Thomas & Ruhller
A spin-off of the performances of Křeč ballet troupe and the sketches of Sklep, the duo was initially intended as a parody of the Brno performer artist Tomáš Ruller, but over its 35-year-long career it has found a highly original expression of minimalist acrobatic grotesque selling out shows on alternative stages. From the start, the printed materials of Thomas & Ruhller (Aleš Najbrt and Jan Slovák) have been part of the mystification and the role-play of “the world-renowned Dutch artists” and a play at a real performance in general. They created the mythology of stars, primarily for their own enjoyment, in the act confirming the indispensability of graphic design for constructing an identity of performers: every child that plays at circus knows that a clown’s act is made important by a poster. The first one, which Thomas & Ruhller did not even have anywhere to hang, determined an identity based on Najbrt’s typeface of the same name for decades to come. What the duo used to mock – restraint and intellectual severity of a section of the art community – paradoxically stood at the foundation of the longevity of their performances and design.
1984–2019 Aleš Najbrt
photo Václav Jirásek
Production estimated up to 14 days, the possibility of printing sizes S to XL
price 400 CZK
