Vladimír Houdek – Visual artist
Vladimír Houdek was born in 1984. He is a student of Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in of Vladimír Skrepl studio. He draw attention to himself already in 2010, when he became the laureate of Critic Prize for young painting. He is the present holder of Jindřich Chalupecký prize for 2012, which he gained thanks to urgency with which he transfers art experience in reflexive way onto the canvas – post-modern and neo modern art at the same time. The newest paintings in which he explores possibility of circle he often combines with technical collage. Despite narrowed expressional field we discover in his pictures rich structure of references to modernism, towards constructive plainness, to detailed absurdity, to poetic warmth, to surrealistic dream landscape examination. In spite of these unnoticeable historical references Houdek remains in the harmony with present affairs. Mainly though Houdek´s work is up to date due to stress on actual matter, on colour substance and its craft processing. Artificially pilled up barrier between „concept“ and „dutiful“ collapses in his art. Outside painting he also writes poems.
Monika Žáková – Costume designer
Monika Žáková was born in 1987. She is a graduate of Academy of Fine Arts In Prague, she studied in painting atelier under the management of Jiří Sopka. She also studied Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste in Dresden under the leadership of Ralf Kerbach. Her diploma work with title Linea alba – white line was a significant piece of work set where the author applied among other things her original technical innovation – painting on relief paper base. Paper paintings she supplements by deductive network composition, surface area layering in form of geometry outline derived from author fascination by immaculate nature mathematics. Monika Žáková is in her creation consciously connects to flow of women – female artists, to specific joint memory. Her inspiration are for example the pieces of work of Běla Kolářová and Toyen, but also Louis Borgeois or Eva Hess. Their production functions here more like a confirmation of own way out, offering specific feeling of togetherness, rather than direct connection. Author beyond painting also devotes time to cration of collages and drawings, with which she supplemented book issue of lyrical short story White dress, which was published by publisher Ausdruck Book in 2011.
