Knowledge, like observation, is never just a broad
highway.
On the contrary, it often consists of a complex maze with various paths
branching off.
And it is thanks to the numerous vistas, seen from different points of view,
that it is possible to counter the decline in our capacity for perception that
is leading us towards a complete levelling off of taste.
Jana Kasalová and Jan Šerých, artists featured in an
exhibition at the Galleria Nicoletta Rusconi, have been selected from the
younger generation of artists in Prague.
The result of a complex tradition, their works draw our attention to the two
opposite poles of Bohemian culture, with its continuous oscillation between
magic and logic.
In Kasalová’s work there is organic lyricism, accompanied by a
strong link with nature that results in an instinctive identification.
The series of maps resembles an old diary that has been rediscovered.
It seems to be the record of remarkable journeys undertaken in the animal and
plant kingdoms.
The drawings are imbued with the essence of human sensibility, which is able to
recreate the idea of a mutual symbiosis between the fantasy of magic and the
natural world.
Šerých, on the other hand, explores the labyrinth of the mind, a
vast and almost unknown universe.
Although clearly linked to the tradition of Concrete and Minimal art, his
paintings, installations and videos manage to create intuitive ambiguity, which,
by giving rise to a suspicion of irony, produces a cognitive short circuit.
He often draws inspiration from intelligence tests — those that can be
described as ‘cultural cryptography’ — revealing their total
banality.
Jana Kasalová was born in Turnov in 1974.
After attending the High School of Applied Arts in Brno from 1988 to 1992, she
then continued her studies under Jirí Naceradský at the Faculty of
Fine Arts of the Polytechnic University of Brno.
In 1999 she obtained a scholarship from the Dagmar and Václav Havel
Foundation VISION 97 to study in Spain; in 2000 a scholarship from the Spanish
government allowed her to attend the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cuenca (University
of Castilla-La Mancha) and the Complutense University in Madrid.
>From 2002 to 2004 she lived and worked in London, Paris and New York.
Since 2005 she has lived in Prague.
She has had solo exhibitions in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Spain,
including: Siesta Animal, Galerie NoD, Prague (2006) and Like You, Galerie
Caesar, Olomouc (2008).
Her works are present in various public and private collections in Europe and
the United States.
Jan Šerých was born in Prague in 1972.
>From 1992 to 1999 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, studying
graphic art (under Jirí Lindovský), the new media (under Michal
Bielický) and painting (under Vladimír Skrepl).
>From 1997 to 2002 he was a member of the BJ (Bezhlavy Jezdec [Headless Rider])
group with his fellow students Josef Bolf, Ján Mancuška and
Tomáš Vanek.
In 2003 and 2005 he was a finalist for the prestigious Jindrich
Chalupecký Award in Prague.
He has participated in various important exhibitions in the Czech Republic and
elsewhere, including the Biennales of Young Artists in Prague (2002 and 2005)
and the Prague Biennale 2 (2005).
His solo exhibitions include: ‘Dial’, National Gallery,
Veletrzní Palace, Prague, (1999); ‘The Architecture of a
Chance’ (Architektura náhody), ISCP (International Studio and
Curatorial Program), New York, 2008); ‘Bip Bip/Beep Beep’, Labor,
Budapest (2009); Artaward International 3/09, Strabag Kunstforum, Vienna (2009);
‘Paramnézie/Paramnesia’, Galerie Caesar, Olomouc (2009).
His works are present in the collection of the National Gallery in Prague and
various public and private collections.
Curated by Miroslava Hájek, the exhibition will remain open until 26
March 2011.
Private view: Thursday 17 February 2011, 6.30 pm onwards
Supported by Istituto Culturale Ceco, Milan
Opening hours for the public: Tuesday to Saturday, from 11.00 am to 7 pm.
Closed Sunday and Monday.
Galleria NICOLETTA RUSCONI
Corso Venezia 22, 20121 Milan, ground floor: entrance through the street door
before no.
22
For information contact:
tel.
+ 39 02 784100
fax + 39 02
77809369
press@nicolettarusconi.com
www.nicolettarusconi.com
