Marek Schovánek
Stenography
Artist
Marek Schovánek
(1965, Praha), Czech
Original Title
Stenography
Date2009
Mediumencaustic and beeswax on canvas
Dimensions163 × 134 cm
Classificationspaintings
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionMarek Schovánek is an artist and curator working with a diversity of mediums and artforms including painting, sculpture, photography, installations, and film scenography. His often-ironic pieces critique mass consumerism and the (self) destructiveness of Western civilization. His mixed media paintings and installations reflect the condition of contemporary Western society and thematize personal and global questions related to mass consumerism, the economization of society, and the decline of democracy. His works often convey a deep-seeded unease and skepticism while simultaneously seeking to prompt spiritual meditation. Schovánek’s artistic practice also explores the conditions and possibilities of art at the outset of the 21st century, suggesting that originality of artistic expression is merely a relative term in this era.
(*1965, Prague) is a Czech artist and curator. After emigrating to Canada, he studied at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. In 1993, he moved to Berlin, where he honed his practice at the legendary Kunsthaus Tacheles in the former East Berlin. Schovánek currently lives and works between Berlin and Prague. Apart from Europe, he has also exhibited in the USA, Australia, and Asia. In 1998, he founded MANIFEST International – Foundation for Sustainable Art and Culture, a project drawing on his curatorial work and his efforts to facilitate cultural exchange between the East and the West. In 2015, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art hosted a retrospective exhibition of his work.
(*1965, Prague) is a Czech artist and curator. After emigrating to Canada, he studied at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. In 1993, he moved to Berlin, where he honed his practice at the legendary Kunsthaus Tacheles in the former East Berlin. Schovánek currently lives and works between Berlin and Prague. Apart from Europe, he has also exhibited in the USA, Australia, and Asia. In 1998, he founded MANIFEST International – Foundation for Sustainable Art and Culture, a project drawing on his curatorial work and his efforts to facilitate cultural exchange between the East and the West. In 2015, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art hosted a retrospective exhibition of his work.
