The final month of the past year kicked off with Telegraph Gallery's exhibition titled Connections. It features works by a total of fifteen contemporary artists who have dedicated their work primarily to the medium of drawing. The theme of automatism in drawing is introduced by the works of Karel Malich, the only author of the exhibition who is no longer alive. There are not only several of his works on paper, dedicated to the passing of his mother, but also the only three-dimensional work in the exhibition - a spatial drawing I notice a crack in space. The exhibition's architecture was created by visual artist Mark Ther, who has previously curated his own solo exhibition May for the Telegraph Gallery, and was also the creator of the exhibition's unique Signal III: Masterworks from the Robert Runtak Collection (1900-1990). The curator of the exhibition, Terezie Zemánková, collaborated with Anežka Šimková, curator emerita of the Olomouc Museum of Art, with whom she was linked by the personality of Anna Zemánková, the most famous Czech art brut artist from Olomouc and grandmother of Terezie Zemánková. Both curators have worked together on several projects, including a large profile book Anna Zemánková.
The Telegraph Gallery's 2024 exhibition programme will open with a solo show by painter Andrej Dúbravský, one of the most prominent representatives of the Slovak art scene. His work focuses mainly on his own experiences; his paintings often feature male bodies, erotic scenes, stylized self-portraits, but also natural motifs and rural landscapes.
The next exhibition project will be a solo show by British artist Jake Chapman. Czech audiences had the opportunity to get acquainted with his work in 2013 at the exhibition of the Chapman Brothers duo at the Rudolfinum Gallery, curated by Otto Urban. The most important works of this duo were on display, such as Fuck Face, a mannequin of a child with a penis instead of a nose, mannequins in Nazi uniforms practicing homosexual sexual intercourse, or paraphrases of Francisco Goya's graphic works Horrors of War. Jake Chapman was mainly active in the 1990s in the Young British Artists alongside Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst. His work, composed of various approaches to the medium of drawing, painting, sculpture and installation, most often alludes to contemporary world events in the context of historical events. This is the first time that he will present his work independently in the Czech Republic.
In addition to the exhibition program, the Telegraph Gallery will also host residencies for artists, which will be made available to visitors during open studio. In 2024, German painter Johanna Silbermann, painter Karolína Netolická, sculptor Patrik Adamec and Spanish sculptor Belén Uriel will participate in the residency program. Each exhibition is also accompanied by a programme of guided tours and lectures with curators and artists. Other activities of the Telegraph Gallery team include pop-up exhibitions at Telegraph Cinema or Telegraph Lofts. You can keep up to date with all our activities on our website, instagram, facebook. Come and see us at the Telegraph again this year!
By Mira Macík
