HYDRANT
The God-Blessed Hydrant—a hard steel phallus gushing life-giving water,
jutting upward toward the clouds.
A fire hydrant is, above all, a symbol and a protective structure. For more than a century, it has been a natural part of the North American urban landscape. It is pumped with water from the city’s veins under extreme pressure. You can literally feel that pressure, that tension, emanating from its body. Divine protection against the hell of destruction, and also a symbol of unity and the common good—there is no greater sin than selfishly parking in front of a hydrant and blocking the path to salvation from the flames of hell.
The HYDRANTS series, 50x50cm / 19x19in, printed by the artist in 2026. Screen printing and spray-painted stencils, four versions, each in an edition of 12 prints, each in its own unique color combination.
One of the outcomes of Hza Bažant's 2025 Fulbright sabbatical in New England.
Fire hydrants, very typical of the American landscape but so rare in Europe, refer to a number of differences in relation to the environment, architecture and public space.
Their presence in A CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) strikes as a truly significant symbol of the contemporary reality.
Find the hydrant to prove that you are human!
