Hana Puchova is one of the foremost fi gures on the Czech art scene. This exhibition mainly presents works from her cycle We Are Here, which opens up a path for a return to the family portrait. Paintings can evoke a feeling of nostalgia that we know from old photographs – mixing an element of melancholy with bashful pleasure at the touching magic of times long past. But Hana Puchova’s work is not a mere vacuous attempt to capture memories imbued with pathos. She is able to strike a balance between the fragility of the fi gures depicted and their sharp, strictly linear contours. The concentrated focus on the subject of the portrait is underscored by playful details contrasting with minimal colours.
The cycle is a unique depiction of the painter´s family (Grandfather, 2009) and friends (Dita and Viktorka, 2012). Perhaps the best-known piece in this cycle is Puchova’s depiction of the Balaban brothers (Jan and Daniel, 2010). The exhibition presents the earliest works from the cycle alongside recently completed paintings. It also includes several example of her still lifes and genre paintings.
Renata Skřebská
Curator of the Exhibition: Renata Skřebská
Texts: Renata Skřebská
Graphic design: Robert V. Novák a Zuzana Burgrová
Promotion: Kateřina Mertha, Jana Šrubařová, Kateřina Šuláková
Educational programmes: Marcela Pelikánová, Jana Sedláková, Lukáš Kleberc
Translation: Christopher Hopkinson