Martinec’s hyper-realism returns to NPG

London based Czech artist, Hynek Martinec, (born 1980) has at 28 not only completed the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) in Prague, but after having worked in New York (amongst others attended Jeff Koons’ studio ), Paris and London, also managed to win the prestigious BP Young Artist Award at London’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in 2007. His work is to be found in many other respected public and private collections, notably including the British Museum’s collection of Prints and Drawings.

Martinec’s work oscillates between the abstract (as for example in ‘The Cables’ series from 2006-7) and classical figurative painting, with the latter being frequently reminiscent of the Old Masters (as in the ‘Lost in Time’ series from 2008). Awareness of his work has undoubtedly been significantly widened by his hyper-realistic portrait of his girlfriend ‘Zuzana in Paris studio’, for which he received the aforementioned prize in 2007. Two years later, Martinec was selected for BP Portrait Award again, and currently until the 20th September 2009 we can see his work depicting a Sri Lankan girl Angela (2008) at the NPG.

The connecting link between very different ways of working and apparently unrelated subjects is the theme of Time. Martinec has explored this concept with the use of varying perspectives, and by drawing on a diverse range of media. His most recent project also deals with the ephemerality of the moment . Entitled ‘At the Same Time…’ it captures the same instant in different locations. A number of canvasses from this series are to be exhibited at the 4th Prague Biennial.

http://www.hynekmartinec.com/

http://www.npg.org.uk/bp-portrait-award-20091/the-exhibition/exhibitors4/bp-exhibitor-37.php

Published in Flash Art, Vol. III No 11-12, March - May 2009 (http://www.flashartonline.com/)

Revealing rituals & taboos

The Czech artist, Tereza Bušková (born 1978), completed her MA in 2007 at the Royal College of Art in London, where she concentrated mainly on printmaking and short experimental film. She attained acclaim early with her first film ‘Wedding Rituals’ (2007) at the Pärnu International Film & Video Festival in Estonia in the same year, and then again in Canada at the AGH's 10th International Film & Video Festival in 2008. In this and in her next film, ‘Forgotten Marriage’ (2008), she has examined the roles and hidden meanings of traditional rituals. These are presented to the viewer as poetic events, while nonetheless retaining much in terms of dark sexual connotations, thereby evoking questions regarding primeval gender roles. The stories are presented without a narrative framework, which enables the author to work very loosely with visual, and often almost theatrical effects reminiscent of Tableaux Vivants. Tereza Bušková’s films encourage a multilayered interpretation, and her setting up of these different yet parallel layers of meaning makes for very compelling viewing. Bušková’s most recent project, entitled ‘Spring Equinox’ has gained the support of the British Arts Council, and is to be exhibited from 9 July until 16 August 2009 in Anita Zabludowicz’s 176 Gallery in London.

http://www.terezabuskova.co.uk/

http://www.projectspace176.com/

Published in Flash Art, Vol. III No 11-12, March - May 2009 (http://www.flashartonline.com/)