The paintings of Martin Velíšek (1968) combine two extreme positions – hyperrealism and abstraction. They are a painterly contemplation of things and of the events that exist outside them. The exhibition present those of Velíšek’s works depicting interiors – specifically, empty couches and armchairs (objects in and of themselves) characterized by the meticulously elaborated texture of their materials and marked by their own life.

Velíšek’s body of work is quite divers: Besides painting, he is also engaged drawing, printmaking, and occasionally packaging design as well. He has received several awards for his work, including the Jelinek Stiftung Award in Support of Contemporary Art, the Interkontakt Grafik Print of the Year Award, the main prize at Intersalon AVJ, the Grand Prix at Salon d’art du Pays fertois, Packaging of the Year, and World Star for packaging design. He is a graduate of Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts (1996), from which he also received his doctorate (2003). While at the academy, he studied drawing with Jitka Svobodová, painting with ZdeněkBeran and Bedřich Dlouhý, and conceptual tendencies with Miloš Šejn. Martin Velíšek is also interested in art theory, and his work always emphasizes ideas and concepts.