October 5 – December 2, 2007

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery in Prague – Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art

Veletržní Palace, 5th floor, respirium premises
Dukelských hrdinů 47, 170 00 Prague 7

Curators: Lenka Pastýříková, Lucie Šiklová

Main partner NG: HVB Bank
Sponsor of the NG in Prague: Synot Lotto, a.s.
Partners: Královský pivovar Krušovice, a.s., Adjust art
Main media partner: Hospodářské noviny
Media partners: Art&antique, Classic FM, ČRo 3 - Vltava

The “respirium” premises of the Veletržní Palace are traditionally reserved for exhibitions presenting Czech contemporary artists. The exhibition of Tomáš Hlavina and Jan Stoss on the respirium’s fifth floor presents two rather different artists. It is misleading to look for any points of intersection in their work, whether in terms of formal aspects, content or expression. What they have in common is place and time – both were born in the 1960s, studied at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s and have met in the respirium of the Veletržní Palace for this year’s exhibition.

Jan Stoss (b. 1964) is a painter whose expression lay somewhere between the classic and the grotesque and whose themes correspond to this description. Almost without exception, he “borrows” his themes from patriotically-hued Czech and Czechoslovak history, employing them seriously or humorously, but always without ridicule. He presents a rather large collection of paintings focused particularly on recent figural work never before displayed.

Tomáš Hlavina (b. 1966) creates precise, and at the same time playful, objects and installations, subtle in terms of their expression. He transforms real, visually interesting objects into conceptual ones. His artworks composed of several discovered components are different from “readymades”, having the character of models or vaguely resembling strange instruments. However, they refer to nothing specific and do not lend themselves to unambiguous interpretation; the artist leaves that to the viewer. His elaborate objects, which the artist sees as visual metaphors, are characterised by a minimal number of means of expression, ever-increasing simplicity and wit. Hlavina presents an impressive collection of his objects of the recent years.

Tomáš Hlavina

Born August 15, 1966, Děčín
Lives and works in Prague.
www.hlavina.info

Education
1986–1992 Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Studio of Intermedia Work of Prof. Milan Knížák

Awards, residencies and fellowships
1989 – Academy of Fine Arts, Tbilisi, Georgia
1997 – Fellowship, Pollock–Krasner Foundation, U. S. A.
1999, 2000, 2001 – Finals for the Jindřich Chalupecký Award
1999–2000 – One-year fellowship, Internationales Künstlerhaus Villa Concordia, Bamberg, Germany
2001 – Creative fellowship, Sculpture Space Utica, U. S. A.
2002 – ArtsLink, Artist Fellowship Award 2002–2003, creative stay at Vermont Studio Center, U. S. A.
2003 – One-year fellowship, Künstlerhäuser Worpswede, Germany
2004 – Fellowship, MacDowell Colony, U. S. A.
2006 – Fellowship, Lannan Foundation, study stay, Santa Fe Art Institute, U. S. A.

Solo exhibitions
1993 – Model for a System of Questions About Islamic Rugs, MXM Gallery, Prague
1994 – Sovinec Gallery, Sovinec Castle (with P. Lysáček and P. Písařík)
1995 – Zámeček Gallery, Příbram (with J. Anlaufová)
1996 – Atlas, MXM Gallery, Prague
2000 – Physics, MXM Gallery, Prague and the Gallery of Fine Arts, Ostrava
         – Book: Space for a Single Work, Moravian Gallery in Brno
2002 – Merry-Go-Round, House of Arts, České Budějovice
2004 – Metaphors, V kapli Gallery, Bruntál, and Ad astra Gallery, Kuřim
2005 – East Bohemian Gallery in Pardubice
2006 – Instruments, Etc. Gallery, Prague
2007 – Na bidýlku Gallery, Brno
         – Instruments, Gallery Die Aktualität des Schönen..., Liberec

He has participated in many group exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Collections
The National Gallery in Prague
The Moravian Gallery in Brno
Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria
Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany
Wannieck Gallery, Brno

Jan Stoss

Born November 7, 1964, Prague
Lives and works in Prague.
Member of the S. V. U. Mánes since 2002.
www.jan.stoss.cz

Education
1989–1995 – The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague:
Studio of Monumental Painting of Prof. J. Načeradský (1990–1991)
Studio of Classical Painting Techniques of Prof. Z. Beran (1991–1993)
Studio of Intermedia Work of Prof. M. Knížák (1993–1995)

A lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague since 1995.

Awards, residencies and fellowships
1993 – Award of the Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague
         – Study stay, Ecole d’Art, Cergy – Paris, France
1995 – J. and M. Jelinek Stiftung Award, Switzerland

Solo exhibitions
1991 – Konice
1992 – Kunhuta Gallery, Poděbrady
1993 – Radost Gallery, Prague
2000 – Day-to-Day and Saintly Figures or Our Outstanding Men, U prstenu Gallery, Prague (with D. Hamsíková)
2003 – Czech Head, Czech Body, U prstenu Gallery, Prague
2004 – Anatomy of the Past, Český Ráj Museum, Turnov (with P. Oriešek)
         – Painting, Sculpture, Masaryk House of Culture, Mělník (with P. Oriešek)

He has participated in many group exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Realizations
Painting “Confluence of the Elbe and Orlice Rivers” made for the Directorship of Lesy České republiky s. p., Hradec Králové
Painting “St Wenceslas” for the main altarpiece in St Wenceslas Church, Prague – Bohnice
Cycle of portraits of outstanding men of Czech science for the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic building, Prague
The Stations of the Cross for St Nicholas Church, Kašperské Hory

Collections
The National Gallery in Prague
Ludwig Forum für internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany

Opening hours
Daily except Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Contact for journalists
Marcela Hančilová
ph. 00420 224 301 167, 00420 724 501 536, e-mail: hancilova@ngprague.cz
www.ngprague.cz