This solo exhibition at CoCo Gallery in Dobrš takes advantage of the unique spaces, which allow the installations to truly soar and unfold with grandeur. The expressive paintings are complemented by large formats, for which the exhibition spaces here are perfectly suited. Each room features a site-specific installation; each room is a new world. Memories, dreams, recollection. Relationships, networks, mycelium as a metaphor. The principle of yin and yang: in the day lies the seed of darkness, and likewise, in the night, the glimmer of day. Night and day, light and darkness—inseparable principles, where one is born anew from the other time and again. The opportunity to seek and find oneself in both darkness and light, without losing hope in meaning. Just as it happens in nature and in the cosmos, meaning lies in existence itself. 

Kamila Ženatá studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 1973 to 1979 in Ladislav Čepelák’s graphic arts studio. In the 1990s, her world expanded to include the field of analytical psychology. She is a guest member of the Czech Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (ČSPAP) and, alongside her own artistic practice, is dedicated to analytical art therapy.

Until the 1990s, she focused primarily on intaglio printing, working in series, and from the very beginning, her work addressed themes that were both subtle and profound. Even then, her graphic work was unconventional in terms of technique, unusually spontaneous and expressive—much like her life, which was rooted not only in the visual arts but also in the world of music. It was only a matter of time before her expressive spirit outgrew the confines of printmaking. At the turn of the millennium, she brought her era of the engraving tool and press to a close, and drawing and painting began to dominate her work; color made its entrance. Eventually, even these media proved insufficient, and she gradually expanded her expressive repertoire to include installation and video art. She crosses the boundaries of the visual arts into the world of literature, where she has made a name for herself as the author of poetry, fiction, and psychotherapeutic books. She is at the forefront of a number of interdisciplinary projects, primarily addressing psychosocial, philosophical, or ecological themes, and has long collaborated with Kampus Hybernská in Prague, for which she prepares lecture series on pressing contemporary psychosocial issues. Her work and life are, in the broadest sense of the word, surprisingly deeply engaged and bear no resemblance to mere formalistic propaganda.

For her, artistic creation is a path to understanding the meaning of existence. She explores the mysteries of the psyche—both of the individual and of humanity—as well as questions about our place in the world and the meaning of the universe; today, she expresses her insights into all of this—which cannot be put into words and exist in other coordinates beyond time and space—through her paintings. She has been guided by her own psychoanalysis; her companions on this journey are sensitivity, openness, the power of imagination, and courage. She draws primarily on analytical psychology, and although Taoism is closest to her spirituality, as someone who takes humanity’s collective consciousness and unconscious seriously, she is also open to other spiritual and philosophical systems. She highlights the human need for rituals, through which we transcend our everyday reality and come to terms with realities that would otherwise be difficult to process—not least personal and societal traumas. Thanks to her own psychedelic experiences, she is able to connect and expand conscious knowledge from various fields and perceive the world as the ever-changing outcome of a cosmic interplay. Some time ago, drawing on this broad spiritual foundation and her own transpersonal experiences, she introduced the theme of mycelium—as a network of relationships and energies—to the art scene. Nature is a mystery—an alchemical image manifested in matter that reveals the otherwise elusive reality of the existence of all things. And we are participants in this eternal cycle, which encompasses both birth and death.

Curator: Lucie B. Šiklová

The exhibition is part of the accompanying program of the Dobršská brána 2026 International Music Festival.

In 2026, the gallery is receiving support through grant programs from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the State Cultural Fund of the Czech Republic, and the South Bohemian Region.