Robert Šalanda

Robert Šalanda is taking part in a six months residential stay under the new exchange program between AIR Antwerpen and MeetFactory Prague. Robert already spent the first three months in AIR Antwerpen, followed now by his three months at the MeetFactory Prague.  

In his work, Robert makes use of an imaginary database composed of abstract visual or language symbols. He finds his inspiration in the whole arsenal of digital images and scenes of everyday life. Typical of his work is quotation – a motif once found reappears usually in other works of his in a number of unexpected connections and contexts. Robert approaches his creation in two ways: one is prevailingly intellectual, based on an almost scientific work with the supply of symbols and signs; his intuitive approach is mainly traceable in the way the painting medium us used (and its occasional overlap into the third dimension) and in the often surprising or seemingly irrational combinations of diverse visual elements of variegated contents. The other way lies in the artist’s lightened styling based on his obsession with trashy language and pictorial culture. Both these directions in their results permeate each other constituting an organic whole, despite one of them usually dominating the other. As if Robert’s minimized abstraction was laughing in secret, its intelligence expressing admiration for (human) simplicity. Hackneyed visual elements are assembled in a well-devised, rhythmical composition, the right place being found even for the most banal of them all.  

Robert Šalanda graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague (1995 – 2002). In the year 2000 he paid a study visit to Facultad de Bellas Artes Cuenca in Spain. In 2008 a professional stay in Berlin and residential stay at Egon Schiele Centre in Český Krumlov followed. In 2011 Robert took part at a ISCP residential stay in New York and in 2016 at AIR Antwerp in Belgium. Rober Šalanda was a co-founder of SPZ Gallery in 2011 and takes part in designing the gallery’s curatorial concept (www.galeriespz.com). Since 2012 he has been teacher of the Painting Studio, at Scholastika School of Contemporary Art.  

Examples of exhibitions:  
One night show (2016, AIR Antwerp), I Told You So (2015, Pavilon Gallery, Prague), Czech Dream (2015, Czech Center New York), Fragments of Sets (2015, Fait Gallery, Brno), I Recommend (2014, 35m2 Gallery, Prague), Treasures (2014, Entrance Gallery, Prague), 7 New Zlín Salon (2014, Zlín), Word for Word (2013, MeetFactory Gallery), The Stowaway (2012, 207 Gallery, Prague), Czech Painting of the Zero Generation (2011, Wennieck Gallery, Brno), Fundaments and Sediments (2011, GHMP, Municipal Library, Prague), Morse (2011, St. Garden/ WinterSpace, New York), After Velvet (2009 GHMP Gallery, the Golden Ring House, Prague), Prague Biennale 4 (2009, Prague), Acne (2006, Rudolfinum Gallery, Prague).

http://www.robertsalanda.com/