Realism in the virtual world is the theme of REALITY SHOW, the latest group exhibition at Galerie Arcimboldo, which will be open for public viewing from June 8 to July 31, 2018. A “reality show” takes place in an isolated environment with manipulatable conditions and should convey distinctive experiences and arouse strong emotions. The eponymous collective exhibition at the Galerie Arcimboldo in Prague does exactly the same thing – but with art. Reality show is built mainly on emotions, intimacy, and exhibitionism on the one hand and, naturally, voyeurism on the other. In the majority of cases, this is most effectively achieved by breaking through the boundaries of privacy, by penetrating the sphere of personal existence, which is not – or should not be – accessible to just anyone. The same applies to this exhibition specifically because of the openness of the exhibited artworks and the connection between them and the personal space of artists, whether related to their own life stories or their viewpoints.

On one hand, this specific grouping is intentionally different than others, but on the other hand, it has similarities that help preserve continuity in mapping out this particular corner of the art scene. It makes an attempt to disrupt some of the perceptual stereotypes, so, for example, renowned portraitists are presented here as still life painters, fine art academy alumni from Zdeněk Beran’s studio at AVU are shown next to those from the studio of yet another important personality in Czech realistic painting Pavel Nešleha at the Academy of Art, Architecture & Design, and the selection of established artists of the middle generation is complemented with work by fresh graduates”, adds Wohlmuth.

In one common space, viewers can see works by highly respected representatives of Czech hyper-realistic painting – Karel Balcar (b. 1966), Zdeněk Daněk (b. 1977), Jan Petrov (b. 1985), Miloš Englberth (b. 1974), as well as Jan Mikulka (b. 1980) and Michal Ožibko (b. 1981), both recipients of the prestigious international BP Portrait Award granted by the National Portrait Gallery in London. Other participants include graduates or attendees of Beran’s studio, such as genre painters Leoš Suchan (b. 1989) and Jindřich Hájek (b. 1972), as well as creator of “bizarre juxtapositions” Miroslav Mařenec (b. 1963). Contraposed with them, at least as far as education is concerned, isKryštof Krejča (b. 1969), one of Nešleha’s adepts. Along with Balcar and Englberth, Krejča took part in the influential exhibition Last Painting (1997), which sparked a fundamental debate at the turn of the 21st century on the nature, acceptability, and relevance of this traditional medium.

The exhibition is rounded out by sculptors Paulina Skavová (b. 1976), Kryštof Hošek (b. 1984) and Matouš Háša (b. 1992), who bring additional expression and dynamicism to the exhibition.

Exhibition curator: Radek Wohlmuth.