The Cermak Eisenkraft Gallery presents a unique Czech-German exhibition project Energy, which views visual art not as a static object, but as a dynamic field in which precise scientific structure meets organic intuition. The exhibition builds on the previous projects Variations, Senses, and Myths.

The conceptual starting point is the work of the French painter of Czech origin Jaroslav Serpan (1922–1976), one of the most distinctive figures in postwar European art. A doctor of statistical biology from the Sorbonne, who had previously moved in André Breton’s circle, his work—at the intersection of biology, mathematics, and the visual arts—represents one of the most original contributions to European Informel and lyrical abstraction. Through thousands of minute symbols and repetitive structures, he mapped the invisible forces shaping the universe and human consciousness. The project specifically examines Serpan’s connection to the German art scene—as evidenced, among other things, by his participation in Documenta II in Kassel (1959).

“What exactly is the energy of a painting, and how can one learn to perceive and understand it? The recipe is simple and demanding at the same time: learn to see,” quotes Tomáš Zapletal Cermak from the interview Energy in Art, which he conducted for the exhibition with philosopher Prof. Miroslav Petříček. And it was precisely Serpan who, during a brief period of his career, focused on the inner power of painting in the sense of striving to create a painting—a “radiator”—that would recharge its viewers with energy.

Here, energy is not understood as a physical quantity, but as a creative visual principle. It connects the human body with space and a fixed order with a constant process of transformation; it refers to the inner charge of artistic form as well as to the power of human attention and spiritual harmony. It is precisely at this intersection that the project explores “cosmic energy” as the convergence of science and intuition. An intense interplay arises between the artwork and the viewer, opening up space for a profound experience on the border between quiet meditation and catharsis.

Four contemporary artists build upon Serpan’s pulsating foundation: painter Gabriela Těthalová transforms mathematical structures into abstract visual systems; photographer Katarina Brunclíková works with light as a painterly tool and explores the energy of transience; German painter Paul Wesenberg builds relief surfaces from dense layers of paint, whose material power is almost palpable; Spanish artist José Noguero Ricol, who lives in Berlin, explores the tension between matter and emptiness in his paintings, sculptures, and installations.

The Cermak Eisenkraft Gallery has long been dedicated to Serpan’s work—in 2015, it partnered on the retrospective Jaroslav Serpan: Between Art and Science at the Kampa Museum and maintains an extensive archive of documents related to Serpan’s work.

Curator: Tomáš Zapletal Cermak