25. 6. 2021 - 31. 7. 2021

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For the last five years, after the series Papercut and Folded Plans, Ira Svobodová continued to analyze the possibilities offered by the division and formation of paper surfaces. The very fact that paper is only a philosophical-content surface altered by the painting techniques, shifts the whole process into the field of phenomena and ideas. The deformation of the paper patterns (areas) is not a randomly generated process. The resulting visual is not predetermined - it's about the process itself. Far more than ever before it's about the author's correlation between individual works.

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Working with color synergy and gradation organically forms the imaginary skeleton of the series. Svobodová based it on her own family's skeletons. The deformation (bending) of the paper records the fundamental message hidden in the text on the stationery. Based on this significant change of approach, the current series Papercurve and Paperwork were created. Both the experience and the patient analysis of Ira Svobodová create a shift in the perception of the depicted matter. The technically simple folds of the previous series are replaced by thoughtful modeling built on planning and technical sophistication.

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New is the rounding of the paper and the layering. The author does not leave the established palette or try to polarize her work with sudden and unexpected contrasts. Primarily, the Papercurve series can be seen as a synthesis of several years of research into the painting of paper surfaces and their spatial modeling.

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The second series mentioned above is the Paperwork series. In it, Ira Svobodová deals with the phenomenon of the circle. The circle is not only the geometric basis of the newly processed composition, for the author it is primarily about the content. She considers it representative of an established absolute. The circle undergoes several processes of decomposition. It is delimited by a contrast line, it is subjected to fragmentation and controlled defragmentation, which shifts the initial plane.

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Formally it is still subject to the laws of modeling and dynamics of the Papercurve series. However, the main common denominator of both series is their nature. The images are free of boundaries, unnecessary contrasts, or moments of creative uncertainty. Especially in the Papercurve series, in addition to creative lightness, there is also joy. The name of the new Paperwork series normalizes this lightness and joy. At its foundation is the obvious fact that the paintings are built on concentrated hard work, which is based on many years of experience. With this remarkable series, Ira Svobodová confirms the meaning of her previous work and puts the new work into a broader and more clear context.

 

text: Jan Kudrna