We invite you to the opening of an exhibition showcasing the latest works by Jan Vytiska, a painter who blends elements of rural folklore, pop-surrealism, and B-movie horror aesthetics.

Vytiska’s work poses the same question that we at GaPu are asking in this year’s exhibition program: what does it mean to be human when we shed the facade of civilization? Imaginary anthropomorphic monsters emerge like phantoms from the dream worlds of ancient communities. Yet these mysteriously terrifying stories, in their aesthetic, resemble contemporary animated fairy tales for adults: moments of violence, visual shock, and horror-tinged scenes appear here. The scenes presented remain allegorically unreal, yet imaginatively concrete.

Jan Vytiska (*1985) graduated from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ostrava (2005–2010, Jiří Surůvka’s New Media studio). His paintings build on a specific pop-surrealist tradition within contemporary Czech painting. Set against the backdrop of street art aesthetics and combined with precise painting techniques, his works are a blend of pop culture and updated elements of rural mythology and folklore, which gradually shift into the realm of trash fantasy with elements of anthropological reflection. 

Curator: Andrea Krejčí