Using varied mechanisms of painting, Václav Rodek circles around the themes of perception, vision, doubt and the desire to grasp reality. He obstinately explores the relationship between the subject and the object, revealing that this relationship cannot be defined as a model with investigable parameters. Along with the artist, we find ourselves permanently flung into a varied terrain of layered visual elements and content. In Rodek’s paintings we encounter a certain ephemerality which demonstrates the relativity of the world. 

For Rodek, painting is literally a form of philosophical work. He feels the need not only to study the themes he works with – mythology and philosophical paradigms – but also to encode them and re-interpret them in various ways. Whenever a viewer encounters one of Rodek’s works and is willing to understand it, this process requires a certain amount of intellectual effort. However, this does not necessarily mean that Rodek’s paintings do not function as autonomous visual signs that can be experienced without reading their titles. First exhibition from the cycle OSTRAVA FOR OSTRAVA.

Opening 9 March at 6 p.m. and guided tours with curator Jaroslav Michna and author will be streamed live on Facebook and the gallery’s YouTube channel on Tuesday 30 March and on Thursday 15. April at 5 p.m. 

VIRTUAL TOUR HERE
OPENING HERE
GUIDED TOURS with Jaroslav Michna HERE
GUIDED TOURS with Václav Rodek HERE
INTERVIEW with Václav Rodek HERE

The cycle of exhibitions OSTRAVA FOR OSTRAVA draws on the gallery’s long-term strategy of presenting the work of artists with close links to our city (Hana Puchová, Daniel Balabán, František Kowolowski, Zbyněk Janáček, Petr Lysáček and more). In response to the current situation restricting gallery opening, we have decided to intensify our focus on this aspect of our activities and expand it to create a year-round programme. This year we will be presenting works by Václav Rodek, Marek Sibinský, Michal Kalhous and Eliška Čabalová. I am confident that our mutually beneficial partnership with Ostrava’s cultural scene will continue in future years too.

Exhibition concept: Jaroslav Michna
Texts: Jaroslav Michna
Translation: Christopher Hopkinson
Graphic design: Katarína Jamrišková
Promotion: Jana Malášek Šrubařová, Magdaléna Staňková
 Educational programmes: Hedvika Dalecká, Jana Sedláková