Iconography and mythology lie at the heart of Vojtěch Kovařík’s paintings, whose large, boldly colored compositions recall the weight of sculpture. The Czech artist’s contorted Herculean figures appear trapped within the frame, their blue, green, and yellow flesh set against lush, vibrant botanical backgrounds, depicted in conflicting states of both physical and psychological grace and restlessness.

Trained in ceramics and sculpture, Kovařík only later gravitated to painting through a self-taught approach of mixing oil, acrylic, and spray paint to suggest reliefs on a flat surface. Figures from Greek mythology, as well as pop culture references, appear across series that fully embrace figuration.

His incorporation of Greek mythology into his practice stems from its significance in the European cultural and collective unconscious, but Kovařík subverts its meaning by reconstructing its most prominent characters.

One can observe that Kovařík’s tone frequently shifts between violence and absurdity. His exaggerated, flaunting masculine forms become caricatures and objects of curiosity. Through this distortion, Kovařík challenges conventional notions of strength and power.

I make heroes on a supra-human scale because they are powerful heroes and gods. The people who lived for the gods died with them. I have respect for heroes and gods and in my work, and try to reflect on and give life to old heroes who transform into new forms. The fact they are often just cutouts or cramped bodies around the perimeter of the frame reinforces my belief that this gives them more emotions and depth, immortality, and fragility, or even coarseness and softness. – Vojtěch Kovařík

About the artist

Vojtěch Kovařík (b. 1993, Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic) lives and works in Brno.