21. 5. 2021 - 20. 6. 2021

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The name of the joint project of painter Adéla Janská (1981) and sculptor Martin Skalický (1976) is ambiguous. Taking into account the personal level, in this case it can naturally relate to the creative process itself, as well as the need for constant self-affirmation in a competitively motivated environment of the art scene, or the more demanding situation of an author living outside an art center. Although all these aspects actually concern both artists, they have not been completely relevant to them for some time.

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In their work, both figuralists very often focus on the head or face as the center of rationality and the mirror of feelings. In their presentation, however, they seem to have deliberately suppressed this crucial aspect, so that it often turns it into a neutral mask without expression. In Adéla Janská's paintings, this is further emphasized by the translucent visor (protection and barrier at the same time) set in front of the face, in which the living eyes glitter with glass. In Martin Skalický's face, for a change, the face is furrowed by grooves and folds, which sometimes deform it to illegibility. It is the conflict of double existence between what takes place before and after the mask that is what is at stake here.
 

text: Radek Wohlmuth