APPLECORE: Part I - Finissage

APPLECORE: THE DESTRUCTION
A live performance by Hynek Martinec

On Thursday 1 October, artist Hynek Martinec will bring APPLECORE Part I to a dramatic close by publicly destroying the monumental, 17-metre-wide charcoal mural he spent eight days creating at Hypha Studios South Bank.

Created directly onto the gallery walls, APPLECORE Part I takes the apple on a journey through human history—from the Garden of Eden, Dutch still-life painting and Cézanne to smartphones, drones, artificial intelligence and the environmental pressures of the present day.

The mural combines art-historical references with contemporary imagery, moving through paradise, disaster, technology and decay. Martinec used AI for the first time while planning parts of the composition, before rendering the entire work by hand in black and white charcoal.

From the outset, the mural was designed to disappear. For this closing performance, Martinec will become both creator and destroyer, demolishing the mural completely and leaving behind only its photographic documentation.

The performance marks the finissage of APPLECORE: Part I, which also includes 30 intimate “dream drawings” created from images and fragments the artist records immediately after waking.

A related exhibition of Martinec’s hyper-surrealist paintings, APPLECORE: Part II, runs at Varvara Roza Galleries, St James’s, from 30 September to 20 October 2026. For further information visit www.varvararozagalleries.com

Thursday 1 October 2026
Hypha Studios South Bank
42 Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9EU

Advance booking recommended.