From Wednesday, April 3, the native of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is exhibiting at the Dallas gallery The Power Station. This is a significant milestone for his career: not only is he presenting reliefs and work with new materials here, but it is his very first foreign solo exhibition outside of a commercial gallery.
Abroad is nothing new for Vojtěch Kovařík, a graduate of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ostrava. In the past, we could see his works, often inspired by Greek fables and legends, at exhibitions in Paris, New York, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles or London, and he also appeared at the prestigious Art Basel and Frieze fairs.
But in Dallas, America, it is the first time that his works shine outside the premises of the galleries representing the Czech artist. “I’ve had exhibitions in commercial galleries so far, so this is the best thing that could have happened at this point in my career. I have two institutional exhibitions waiting for me this year,” says Kovařík, whose art can be seen in the Czech Republic in June, specifically at Prague’s Kampa Museum.
The institution in Texas, USA approached the artist through the Mendes Wood DM gallery, and Kovařík has been working on new works in his spacious Brno studio since November last year.
In the Dallas gallery, located in the premises of the former power plant, the Czech artist presents ten of them, including two reliefs, as part of the exhibition called Under the Weight of the World. In The Power Station gallery, we can also find Kovařík’s largest painting to date – on an area of six by three meters, it depicts the ancient story of Leander and Hero, a tale of love ending in the tragic death of both lovers.
“I had the motive in my head for a long time. It’s a really strong story, and that’s why I chose such a large canvas,” comments the creator of the large-format painting. In the legend, the young Leandros drowns while swimming after his love. She subsequently takes her own life out of grief. “He’s such a Shakespeare,” adds the artist anachronistically.
As he also reminds, it is a site-specific image. In his studio, he created with the help of mobile ramps and adapted to the exhibition space: the view of each of the lovers is therefore directed to a different floor of the exhibition.
Site-specific work by Vojtěch Kovařík
The new works follow on from Kovařík’s previous work: on the canvases we can see disproportionate figures, often deep in thought, melancholic and as if imprisoned, petrified for ages in wooden frames.
One such – Aphrodite from 2020 – was auctioned at Christie’s auction house last year for almost nine million crowns. The auction took place next to works by Jajoi Kusama, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons.
“The story of Vojtěch Kovařík is unique in every way,” says Anna Pulkertová, art specialist at J&T Bank and curator of the Magnus Art gallery. It alludes not only to the young age of the Czech artist, but also to the way he got into prestigious foreign galleries.
Kovařík managed to establish himself in the world of art thanks to the power of Instagram. It was there that the curators from the Derouillon gallery in Paris spotted him, and through this gallery the Czech artist also got to the aforementioned Mendes Wood DM.
According to Pulkertová, every solo exhibition is a great success, even more so if it is a non-profit organization. “The value of artists increases with each exhibition. Foreign exhibitions are not quite common for Czech artists, and if they are, then at a later age,” he adds, referring to Krištof Kintera, for example.
The curator sees Kovařík’s uniqueness mainly in his faithfulness to the theme – the artist has been devoted to antique motifs since his university studies – and in the artistic processing itself. As he also mentions, figurative painting is returning to art, which can benefit Kovařík in terms of popularity. “His expression fits well with what is in demand now,” says Pulkertová.
There is definitely no mistaking the high demand for Kovařík’s works – there is a long waiting list for his paintings in representative galleries. But the artist himself watches the sales from a distance and concentrates on the creation itself. According to his words, he is in a phase where he enjoys painting more and more.
In addition, he manages to penetrate, as he says, “into greater depth” in his paintings. Although he is still inspired by Greek legends in some of his works, in America he is also exhibiting paintings that reflect his personal feelings and life experiences.
“I chose the theme of the weight of the world for the exhibition. I start from the story of Atlas and try to show in my works that we each carry a piece of the world that can be difficult, painful, hectic. Each work is a kind of definition of my emotions, a dreamscape, an allegory of my life,” the artist describes.
We can also find innovations in the painting technique itself. Kovařík is known for using sand or oil, and he also worked with crushed iron for the first time on the pieces for the Dallas exhibition.
But if you don’t have a trip to Texas anytime soon, don’t despair. You will have the opportunity to see crushed iron, as well as sand or spray paint, which the artist also likes to use, at the upcoming exhibition in Prague, where, in addition to the aforementioned, he also plans to exhibit bronze reliefs.
“I’m looking forward to Kampu, I’m curious about the criticism. I think it could come from both directions,” says Kovařík. “After all, I have different feelings about the exhibition in the Czech Republic, I haven’t exhibited at home for a long time.”
Vojtěch Kovařík had his last solo domestic exhibition in 2019 at the Dukla Gallery in Ostrava. This year’s in Museu Kampa will last from June 8 to September 8, 2024.