My studio is my headspace. The physical place is always replaceable.
What I do in one sentence: I’m curious about sound(s).
Why I didn’t get a proper 9–5 job: 10 years of teaching (not a daily 9–5 at all) was rewarding but I just needed more time to compose. Now I have a 10 to whatever ungodly early morning hour I finally decide to crawl into bed – paradise!
An artwork I would get accomplished if space, time and money were abundant: Assemble and lead my development dream-team to create an interactive piece of art/media (essentially a video game) dealing with concepts of potential and afterlife as described by ancient Egyptians and other religious and philosophical texts.
Why I do what I do: From the outside it’s mostly all the amazing and supportive people that I’m so honored and privileged to be motivated by. From the inner perspective it’s a deep need and urge to create and to gently fracture myself in the process to try to find or offer a primal connection with others.
Artists I have on my watch list (and why): Funnily enough, I recently started to work on a section of my website called “Check it out” – where I want to mention, recommend and celebrate all my most cherished beings and projects. I soon realized the list is very, very long. Either way I have to at least mention: Austin Wintory (because besides being a sensitive and sublime composer, he is also a kind and beautiful human being), Sarah Schachner (because her music is intimate yet raw), Die Antwoord (because they are beautifully unhinged), Matouš Hlaváč (because for the first time, his paintings made me feel something as strongly as music does), Heilung (because how solid and intentional their artistic vision is) and – well I could continue for pages and pages…
I am afraid of forgetting to be childish, naive, hopeful and in pursuit of something.
I know that a piece is finished when the deadline hits. Or if there is no deadline, usually I can tell when whatever else I try to add to it begs to be its own thing.
How do I imagine my life in old age: Hopefully I won’t end up bitter and resentful. But I’m definitely imagining myself sitting somewhere calm and quiet, watching the trees, drinking a nice cup of sickly sweet tea and smoking a nice cigar. I also want to have a lot of animals. But who knows what the world is gonna look like.
What role does work play in my life as I grow older: What is now my work has always really been a playful activity to me – a hobby, the most fun and most sensible way of spending my time. So far it stays that way. Naturally there are often obstacles, frustration, crunching, stress-smoking and colorful vocabulary being used when a project hits a snag – but I think with the “pain” mixed in the result is often more visceral, personal and relatable.
How I want to be buried resp. words I want to be written on my tombstone: I have no idea – it’s one of those things I don’t really find myself thinking about.
Pavel Šabacký, Fellow at Villa Concordia, Bamberg. Studio visit, 2026.
My studio is my headspace. The physical place is always replaceable.
What I do in one sentence: I’m curious about sound(s).
Why I didn’t get a proper 9–5 job: 10 years of teaching (not a daily 9–5 at all) was rewarding but I just needed more time to compose. Now I have a 10 to whatever ungodly early morning hour I finally decide to crawl into bed – paradise!
An artwork I would get accomplished if space, time and money were abundant: Assemble and lead my development dream-team to create an interactive piece of art/media (essentially a video game) dealing with concepts of potential and afterlife as described by ancient Egyptians and other religious and philosophical texts.
Why I do what I do: From the outside it’s mostly all the amazing and supportive people that I’m so honored and privileged to be motivated by. From the inner perspective it’s a deep need and urge to create and to gently fracture myself in the process to try to find or offer a primal connection with others.
Artists I have on my watch list (and why): Funnily enough, I recently started to work on a section of my website called “Check it out” – where I want to mention, recommend and celebrate all my most cherished beings and projects. I soon realized the list is very, very long. Either way I have to at least mention: Austin Wintory (because besides being a sensitive and sublime composer, he is also a kind and beautiful human being), Sarah Schachner (because her music is intimate yet raw), Die Antwoord (because they are beautifully unhinged), Matouš Hlaváč (because for the first time, his paintings made me feel something as strongly as music does), Heilung (because how solid and intentional their artistic vision is) and – well I could continue for pages and pages…
I am afraid of forgetting to be childish, naive, hopeful and in pursuit of something.
I know that a piece is finished when the deadline hits. Or if there is no deadline, usually I can tell when whatever else I try to add to it begs to be its own thing.
How do I imagine my life in old age: Hopefully I won’t end up bitter and resentful. But I’m definitely imagining myself sitting somewhere calm and quiet, watching the trees, drinking a nice cup of sickly sweet tea and smoking a nice cigar. I also want to have a lot of animals. But who knows what the world is gonna look like.
What role does work play in my life as I grow older: What is now my work has always really been a playful activity to me – a hobby, the most fun and most sensible way of spending my time. So far it stays that way. Naturally there are often obstacles, frustration, crunching, stress-smoking and colorful vocabulary being used when a project hits a snag – but I think with the “pain” mixed in the result is often more visceral, personal and relatable.
How I want to be buried resp. words I want to be written on my tombstone: I have no idea – it’s one of those things I don’t really find myself thinking about.
Pavel Šabacký, Fellow at Villa Concordia, Bamberg. Studio visit, 2026.