Ondřej Basjuk
Nails
Artist
Ondřej Basjuk
(1983, Domažlice), Czech
Original Title
Nails
Date2011
Mediummixed media (acrylic and 80 nails)
Dimensions3 × 8,5 cm
Classificationssculpture
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionOndřej Basjuk’s work is defined by a conceptual intermedia approach and a thorough mastery of painting which he tends to combine with readymades, site-specific installations, video, photography, and graphic design. His artistic persona can be seen as that of a visual explorer engaging with narration and mystification while also pursuing an interest in redefining painting and its legacy. His work often draws on personal experiences, historic and scientific knowledge, and adventurous, travelogue-like elements stemming from his interest in different civilizations, Jules Verne’s adventure novels, and Zdeněk Burian’s illustrations. In his quasi-archeological approach, Basjuk explores questions of aesthetics, history, and society. In his more recent work, he also reflects on the changing political climate and shifting societal opinions and values caused by the threats of dominant contemporary ideologies, thus fusing both critical and romantic elements in his artworks. His paintings are marked by meticulous technique and a simple black-and-white color palette with occasional dashes of color. Basjuk views the medium and history of painting as a treasure box of styles, themes, and artistic approaches, which can be freely experimented with and developed for use in his distinctive visual narratives. Some of his works betray a fascination with untraditional materials, which he uses as a base layer for his paintings and a means of exploring the boundaries between painting and objects.
Nails (2018) is a unique miniature painting on the heads of nails lined up in a nail gun clip, which resemble ammunition cartridges and simultaneously reference a roof repair Basjuk was working on while creating this piece. This combination of painting with a readymade object allows him to blur the defined boundaries of painting and move them closer to everyday life. The miniature painted motifs thematize the topic of war, a focus linked to his upbringing in Domažlice, a borderland town which remained under military surveillance throughout his childhood. They are also inspired by the war in Afghanistan and the death of Osama bin Laden, ultimately oscillating between a romantic idealization and a sarcastic ironization of war.
Ondřej Basjuk (*1983, Domažlice) lives and works in Prague. He studied book design as well as media illustration and didactic illustration in the Laislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Arts at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Subsequently, he studied graphic design in Vladimír Kokolia’s studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 2013, he received second place in the Critics’ Prize for Young Painting. He regularly exhibits at independent galleries and larger institutions around the Czech Republic. He has solo shows, for instance, at the Gallery of Modern Art in Roudnice nad Labem (2018) and the White Unicorn Gallery in Klatovy (2020).
Nails (2018) is a unique miniature painting on the heads of nails lined up in a nail gun clip, which resemble ammunition cartridges and simultaneously reference a roof repair Basjuk was working on while creating this piece. This combination of painting with a readymade object allows him to blur the defined boundaries of painting and move them closer to everyday life. The miniature painted motifs thematize the topic of war, a focus linked to his upbringing in Domažlice, a borderland town which remained under military surveillance throughout his childhood. They are also inspired by the war in Afghanistan and the death of Osama bin Laden, ultimately oscillating between a romantic idealization and a sarcastic ironization of war.
Ondřej Basjuk (*1983, Domažlice) lives and works in Prague. He studied book design as well as media illustration and didactic illustration in the Laislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Arts at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Subsequently, he studied graphic design in Vladimír Kokolia’s studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 2013, he received second place in the Critics’ Prize for Young Painting. He regularly exhibits at independent galleries and larger institutions around the Czech Republic. He has solo shows, for instance, at the Gallery of Modern Art in Roudnice nad Labem (2018) and the White Unicorn Gallery in Klatovy (2020).
