7.11.2014: Richard Štipl &amp; Josef Zlamal

Richard Štipl a Josef Zlamal

World Premiere: The fantastic world of Richard Štipl and osef Zlamal

17.10.-20.11.2014

dvorak sec conteporary

Dlouhá 5, Praha 1

Admission: free

Gallery dvorak sec contemporary is after three years exhibiting once again Czech-Canadian artist Richard Štipl, a superstar at international art fairs. This time however his exhibition is uniquely associated with the Czech artist-drawer Josef Zlamal. This original exhibition-project in Prague has its world premiere. Afterwards, the exhibition will travel to Berlin and Paris.
"Both artists present their latest and so far unseen work, which was created especially for this exhibition and gallery space," says Olga Dvorak of the exhibition, co-owner of dvorak sec contemporary. "Štipl’s wooden sculptures, which in the artist‘s new creative stage passes to monumentality, which resonates with the precise ink drawings of Josef Zlamal," says Olga Dvorak. The coexistence at first sight of these incompatible objects have their origin in long-term cooperation, which stems from the natural creative dialogue.

Richard Štipl worked on his unique concept of thirty-two heads cast from nine different metals, with his creative efforts culminated on this exhibition. The central piece is a sculptural installation titled Procession, which is an allegory of our times. The work depicts a hyena with the leader, a drunken king riding on his servant, and the procession concludes with an intellectual portrayed as a clown. "This work took the artist three quarters of a year to complete and is also the most expensive work exhibited worth one million Czech crowns," adds Petr Šec, co-owner of dovark sec contemporary.
The work of painter and sculptor Richard Štipl has a strong emotional charge. Štipl works as one of the few contemporary artists with reference to classical European sculpture, which he further develops. "My self-portraits can be seen as a contemporary statement about the extremes of human existence," says the artist, represented by many important private and public collections. Štipl regularly participates in exhibitions and art fairs (Volta Basel, Frieze London, Art Basel Miami). Štipl attributed to his success with participation in international exhibitions such as Decadence Now! in Gallery Rudolfinum or the exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

Painter and drawer Josef Zlamal long-term develops the legacy of the classical medieval, his drawings are full of citations and references. Over the years Zlamal developed a unique technique of working with ink on handmade paper. His drawings do not arise spontaneously, on the contrary, he works by a long- term process of layering. "I repeatedly dip my drawings in a water bath and subsequently I wash them out. Part of motives disappear, however the substantial remains, " says the artist, whose works have been presented in the context of prestigious artists Ron Pondicka and Marc Quinn at the Art Fair Contemporary Istanbul 2012.

As a starting point to the platform from which both artists analyze the phenomenon of human destiny, serves as a devotion to the material and technique. In their work they relate to the mixture composed of twisted, distorted beauty, disgust and obscenity, serving not as a means of social criticism or committing violence on viewers, but rather as a voucher towards the interior, where the duality of humanity and monstrosity interconnects.