Petr Nikl
Bird's Head
Artist
Petr Nikl
(1960, Zlín), Czech
Original Title
Bird's Head
Date2010
Mediumacrylic on canvas
Dimensions135 × 150 cm
Classificationspaintings
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionPetr Nikl is a visual artist working with a wide array of mediums such as painting, music, performance, staged photography, theatre, puppet theatre, and book writing, using them to weave together a distinctive poetic world. He often draws inspiration from his own childhood and more generally from childish intuitiveness unaffected by rationality and mundaneness. In his work, Nikl continuously explores the phenomena of time and memory while also holding an interest in the prenatal and early phases of human and animal life. His playful, associative approach fosters an interaction with viewers, aiming to awaken their sensitivity and allow them to view our existence and the surrounding world from a different perspective. His canvases are marked by delicate artistic work, reflecting his interest in classicism and the Renaissance masters.
Bird’s Head (2010) is a stylized, fantastical portrayal of an observed reality. Its organic, imaginative visual morphology, based on the interplay of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes and a delicate balancing of light and shadow, evidencing Nikl’s technical capabilities. The title itself plays an important role, anchoring the otherwise elusive visual form and helping Nikl demonstrate the interconnected relationship between fauna and flora.
Petr Nikl (*1960, Zlín) studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 1981-1987. During his studies he took part in underground student exhibitions titled Konfrontace organized from 1884 onward. He was part of the art group Tvrdohlaví (The Headstrongs; 1987-1991), whose members followed postmodernist tendencies. He is a laureate of the Jindřich Chalupecký Prize for the year 1995. He also received scholarships from the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Marseille in France (2004) and the Headlands Center for the Arts in the USA (1996). His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions in France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, and Great Britain. He has also had solo exhibitions at Gallery 36 in Ukrainie, Gallery Sechzig in Austria, Gallery La Coupole and the Neue Rathaus in Germany, and the Mustaari Gallery in Finland. In 2013, a retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Prague City Gallery. Nikl also occasionally designs and curates exhibitions which extensively incorporate the viewer, for instance: The Nests of Games, Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, 2000; The Landscape of Fantasy and Music at the Czech Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Aichi, Japan; the travelling project Orbis Pictus and the Labyrinth of the World; the travelling project Play, etc.
Bird’s Head (2010) is a stylized, fantastical portrayal of an observed reality. Its organic, imaginative visual morphology, based on the interplay of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes and a delicate balancing of light and shadow, evidencing Nikl’s technical capabilities. The title itself plays an important role, anchoring the otherwise elusive visual form and helping Nikl demonstrate the interconnected relationship between fauna and flora.
Petr Nikl (*1960, Zlín) studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 1981-1987. During his studies he took part in underground student exhibitions titled Konfrontace organized from 1884 onward. He was part of the art group Tvrdohlaví (The Headstrongs; 1987-1991), whose members followed postmodernist tendencies. He is a laureate of the Jindřich Chalupecký Prize for the year 1995. He also received scholarships from the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Marseille in France (2004) and the Headlands Center for the Arts in the USA (1996). His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions in France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, and Great Britain. He has also had solo exhibitions at Gallery 36 in Ukrainie, Gallery Sechzig in Austria, Gallery La Coupole and the Neue Rathaus in Germany, and the Mustaari Gallery in Finland. In 2013, a retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Prague City Gallery. Nikl also occasionally designs and curates exhibitions which extensively incorporate the viewer, for instance: The Nests of Games, Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, 2000; The Landscape of Fantasy and Music at the Czech Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Aichi, Japan; the travelling project Orbis Pictus and the Labyrinth of the World; the travelling project Play, etc.
