Hello Patrik and welcome to NotRandomArt. The current issue is revolving around the problem of communication and identity. Is there any particular way you would describe your identity as an artist but also as a human being in dynamically changing, unstable times? In particular, does your cultural substratum/identity form your aesthetics?
Hello and thank you too. My identity as a person is identical to the identity of an artist who reacts to events in his surroundings. These things cannot be separated. In my work I thematise the life and events happening around me.
Everyday events affect my work and I often take inspiration from them. As a person who is influenced by new technologies I started to make use of the photos I store on my mobile phone, but also the processing of materials in digital environment.
The amount of information that affects us is a source which I choose from and then further process it.
Would you like to tell us something about your artistic as well as life background? What inspired you to be in this artistic point in your life when you are now?
When thinking about the current state as an artist I must note that the process has been affected by a number of circumstances. Since childhood I've liked exploring things. I tried to find out how things worked, I disassembled toys and tried put them back together. I created my own objects and models. I drew a lot. At 17 I was playing in a band, I was interested in music. But besides that I was still creating the brand of the band and designs for record covers. I also did plastic modeling. I always felt the inner impulse to create something. Later I began to focus intensively on the fine and visual arts. I graduated from college and finished my Ph.D. studies in 2009. I am currently working as the head of a studio at the Department of Graphics at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. I do not know how to define it clearly, but it was a coincidence that has made me choose this way. Maybe we can call it fate.
Could you identify a specific artwork that has influenced your artistic practice or has impacted the way you think about your identity as a participant of the visual culture?
This cannot be clearly defined. I have been inspired by many factors - consciously and unconsciously. Originally it was the work of old masters. During my studies I was inspired mostly by my teacher - graphic artist Igor Benca. In addition, my interest in art has led me to watch the contemporary scene. I also learn by what I see and further reevaluate my own work. In the current work I like the ideological basis of the work with a high-quality technical background - the visual and ideological quality of the works that are different in certain way and interesting, they carry an idea. I have been inspired by many works by various artists; it is difficult to name one because I do not want to forget about anyone.
Since you transform your experiences into your artwork, we are curious, what is the role of memory in your artistic productions? We are particularly interested if you try to achieve a faithful translation of your previous experiences or if you rather use memory as starting point to create.
I work with thematisation of life and life events. In my work I mostly react to current themes. In some older works I worked with memory, especially in the work "What next?", "Notice boards", "Milouš" (2007-2008). It was a reaction to the previous period - the former totalitarian regime in Slovakia and throughout the Eastern Bloc.
When working with text I use word games, absence, negation, quotation. In my recent screen prints I use as a source old family photographs, but also ongoing records captures by the camera. So memory is present especially in captured and archived moments.
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
There are no rules. I think it's good to have an experience with material; it offers more freedom in creation. I choose the technique according to the topic. When creating objects and installations I have been trying to make graphics present, even if indirectly; or at least its attributes (print, multiplication, etc.). Lately, I focus mainly on screen printing and I want to experiment more in this medium.
How do you see the relationship between emotional and intellectual perception of your work? In particular, how much do you consider the immersive nature of the viewing experience?
My work is based on meaningful and visual communication. That is what I am striving for in my works; to give them ideological background. When working with text, I am particularly interested in text as a graphic symbol, but I use text especially for its communication ability. Text interpretation can then stir viewer’s emotions. The current works made by screen printing technique record the moments of life where I try to achieve a visual shift and thus make the displayed image more special. In the series of screen prints, where I work with portraits of animals, I refer to the life cycle and the power of nature, the characteristics of the animals, the animal kingdom, which is also a reference to human qualities.
The animal kingdom is particularly interesting in its natural instinctive functioning and hierarchy. This part of my work is more about emotional perception but it is also about the intellectual side of the perception.