Five

Five presents various artistic strategies expressed through the medium of paint. The art is meant to be understood on several different levels, particularly thanks to the underlying personas of each painting’s author. In contrast to paintings by Juraj Kollár, who uses traditional techniques, appears the energetic expressionist work by Jakub Špaňhel. Juraj Kollár´s paintings are rather classical in the sense of both artistic technique and selection of topics ultimately visualized. Jakub Špaňhel also bases his paintings on classical themes, particularly those well known from art history (landscape, still life, portrait), but the significant difference is that he radicalizes his artistic handwriting, even to the level of creative gesture, which determines the finished visual perception. On the other hand, authors like Pavel Tichoň and Štefan Tóth are more experimental and use painting more as process-driven concept. Artwork by these authors often transcends the possibilities of representational painting. In the case of Štefan Tóth, for instance, it is possible to speak about the quality of the artwork as an “object”. Pavel Tichoň utilizes his experience with different media (video art) in his concepts based on the medium of painting. This virtual boundary between classical painting and video art is – within this exhibition – completed by Pavla Sceránková. Pavla adds a “visual comment” to the exhibited paintings through the addition of objects. In her work, some objects used as substantial artwork verge on the realm of sculpture.