Polansky, Prague
Lukáš Karbus & Tadeáš Podracký
During Art-o-rama 2025 Polansky Gallery presents works by two Czech artists, Lukáš Karbus and Tadeáš Podracký.
The large-format watercolors of Lukáš Karbus, whose life and work are connected with the landscape of Northern Bohemia, could never be perceived as mere records of observed reality or impressions of the author’s “inner world”, but rather as specific pictorial concepts in which experiences and perceptions are naturally transformed into a painterly vision, which sometimes takes on a mystical tone. The hobby of repeatedly observing a specific landscape led the author to consider the transformation of the context of perception – not only in connection with natural rhythms or other external influences, but above all in connection with changes in the internal state of the observer, who, depending on his own mood, perceives different aspects of the world each time. The relational perception of the world is also prescribed in Karbus’ watercolors, in which the pictorial space is formed by a sophisticated layering of colored surfaces. Tiny geometrized forms of azure colors are placed on top of each other, intertwine and compact in dynamic fractal structures, whose color gradient acts like a slight vibration of air illuminated by light. In his paintings, Karbus systematically works with a certain fragile order, which he also constantly disrupts. He breaks up the geometry of the rasters and the concentrated drawing expression with small deviations, scattered lines and freely spilled colors, and sometimes enters the transparent azures by gluing opaque gouache elements. In a way, monumental geometric forms can also be understood as a disruption of the image system, which introduces a different order into complex compositions.
Tadeáš Podracký explores how the hybridization of rituals from traditional folk culture, historically linked to pagan and Christian mythologies, and their performance in the urbanized context of the city intersect with the identity shaped by contemporary material culture. Through experimenting with the narrative potential of myth as a medium for a deeper connection between objects and people. Primarily, he investigates how new contemporary mythologies and artifacts can enhance rootedness, interconnectedness, and a sense of belonging as a result of the exchange between objects and people. Sculptural relief representing the personification of death in the form of a skeleton, which rejuvenates and becomes adorned with human and floral details. Human anatomical details merge with organic botanical elements, blurring the boundaries between a living body and an inanimate object. Podracký creates an environment where he hints at the possibility of an intimate connection between objects and people, seeking to present a different understanding of how these artifacts influence their surroundings, including their ability to create and deepen situations and social bonds.
