The Naked Lady - Lilith - Livingprague.com

The Naked Lady – Lilith

A short tram or metro ride from the centre of town to the far side of Karlin will bring you to an area called Invalidovna. You’ll find some sculpture work here by David Cerny often referred to as the naked lady but has the official name Lilith.

prague street scene david cerny sculpture lilith or naked lady — The Naked Lady – Lilith – Close to the Invalidova Metro

Lilith Construction

Unveiled in 2022 as part of a new apartment complex Lilith stands 24 metres high, made of polished chrome-nikel stainless steel and weighs a whopping 35 tons. The head can also be moved 180 degrees and if it’s working this will happen at midnight.

Inspiration

There are three things at work here. First, the apartment house owned by the Tri-Gema company. If you read about David Cerny’s “Trifot” sculpture then the same company commissioned that and the material is the same. Secondly, the name of the apartment block is “Fragment” which apparently takes inspiration from an old military hospital opposite and it’s association with mentally ill patients. Third is the main woman character who appears, at one angle, to be holding the building in place. The whole thing is referring to humanity and it’s ability to hold itself together.

Lilith the Legend

close up of david cerny naked lady lilith eighth district Invalidovna — Prague Naked Lady – Lilith

If there is one thing to understand about Lilith it’s that she has absolutely nothing to do with “holding humanity together”. Depending on what you read she is either a character who represents the first woman i.e. Eve but who is cursed by pagan gods and becomes a killer of small children. On the brighter side, she’s a Babylonian/Sumerian demonic man-seducing character (think Ghostbusters!). She’s a demon strongly linked with eroticism (hence the naked lady) but at least she doesn’t have the snakes coming out of the fingers in David Cerny’s work.

Other Stuff

david cerny hand sculpture at the fragment apartment block in prague — David Cerny “Fragment” Apartment block at Invalidovna

If you are here to look at Lilith then also take a minute to walk into the atrium area where you’ll find a couple of hands and part of a leg also by the same artist. They don’t call this place “Fragment’ for nothing!

How to Get Here

1) Take the metro and get off at the Invalidovna metro station, take signs for the tram, turn left and it’s 200 metres.
2) Take the Tram 8 or 24 to the Invalidovna tram stop, look back down the road 200 metres to your right.