Untitled Dreams

In the exhibition Untitled Dreams at Karpuchina Gallery, the figurative painter Jakub Čuška (*1989) presents the full range of his daily painting expressions. His work is characterized by a process approach. He draws his ideas mainly from his own imagination, but occasionally uses archive photographs as well. The atmosphere of his lyrical paintings has a melancholic effect on the viewer. The figures depicted - with elements of self-portraiture - are set in an imaginary environment on the edge of reality and dream, which may be a reflection of the inner world of the figures or of the artist himself. On the background of his canvases Čuška uses a distinct flatness juxtaposed with a lively rhythmization of brushstrokes that pleasantly destabilizes the image and in a way dissolves it. This results in an unencumbered, open painting that is reluctant to carry a precise definition and opens a back door for other possible solutions. The openness of the painterly form encourages reflection on the fleeting nature of each moment. Perhaps this very indeterminacy proves to be the element that lends the paintings a sense of disquiet and reminds us not to create a barrier to other exits.

Čuška's protagonists stand on the edge between childhood and adulthood and deal with the possible conflict between responsibility and the immediate desire to remain a boy. The space his protagonists inhabit keeps them safe in the author's inner fantasy and keeps them away from the exact contours of reality. Through his paintings, the artist reminds us of human dreams and guides us through his inner world in a non-violent way. The figures in the paintings may be familiar and close to us through our own experience. The men and boys on the canvases are always able to walk the line, reminding us of what it is like to be an adult and yet happy to give in to daydreaming.

Jakub Čuška studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in the studio of Painting 4 under Martin Mainer and Marek Meduna. He has had solo exhibitions at Vyšehrad Gallery and OKO Opava Gallery. He also participated in several group exhibitions, such as "Almost Seven Brave Ones," dealing with figurative painting at Trafo Gallery, "Get Up, Be a Painter of Ugly Things" at Rub Gallery, and "Commanded Release" at Telegraph Gallery. Currently, he teaches in the painting studio at the Secondary School of Design and Fashion in Prostějov and lives and works in Olomouc.