Printmakers group Pres Nostres
In the late autumn of 2023, four artists founded a printmakers group, they named Pres Nostres. The group consists of – Bronislava Bakule Malá, Eva Vápenková, Jiří Hanuš and Peter Kollár – artists of one generation, who put their creative talent, time and effort mainly into printmaking.
Each of them has already entered and is still entering the world of contemporary visual art with their work, not only through solo or collective exhibitions, but also through successful participation in domestic and international competitions. Their artistic and professional portfolio continues to grow with new creative intentions, series and exhibition projects.
The connection between Bronislava, Eva, Jiří and Peter is also justified in terms of artistic expression. Their creative intentions and artistic expressions come together in a specific kind of personal silencing and introverted to documentary observation of the real world. They patiently enter into the process of printmaking, whether it be through the techniques of linocut, mezzotint, etching, intaglio or drypoint.
Firmly anchored in their own original work, the four distinctive artists decided to combine their intellectual, creative forces and form the Pres Nostres printmaking group to enhance the visuality of printmaking together. They approach future joint projects with enthusiasm, welcoming the opportunities to exhibit in galleries as well as the possibility to carry out site-specific projects.
curator Hana Zrno Vondrů
MEMBERS
Bronislava Bakule Malá (*1979) is a visual artist who works mainly in printmaking and sculpture. She works mostly in linocut technique. She works with what surrounds her – what does not impose itself, but usually is. In some of her graphic works we can find a certain amount of poetic playfulness, in others an imprint of concentrated observation of the meaning and order of the vital world. What unites her with the other members of the group is her desire to graphically process her own sometimes almost introverted themes. Her works are specific in that they can be thought of as visual diaries of the simple everyday, in some positions incorporating the principle of illustration.
Eva Vápenková (*1979) through her interest in art history, switched to freelance graphic art, while also teaching. In her graphic prints, she takes from what she sees – she distils reality. Her seemingly abstract prints are based on impressions and experiences of real landscapes. The dominant technique in her work is intaglio printing. She clashes with the other members of the group in an attempt to reflect on non-temporal issues, i.e. what is beyond what is seen, what can only be glimpsed. Also, a certain subtlety, a subtle sound of her works is what connects her with the others. However, her distinctive position in the group is that she narrates the world in visual shorthand, and the very aesthetic of her prints at times evokes ink drawing.
Jiří Hanuš (*1981) is a teacher and artist, focusing on printmaking, painting and illustration. He has chosen printmaking for its clarity and purity, leaning towards the „velvet“ technique of mezzotint. His graphic prints depict the desolate places of industrial landscapes or views of desolate natural spaces. He depicts a fantasy life – lifelessness; with concentrated imagination we can sense the presence of unspoken beings. In his artistic expression, he is intertwined with the other members of the group with the intention of capturing the calm concentration and surrounding silence. In addition, his legible prints depicting the hidden poetics of architecture have an exclusive place in the group.
Peter Kollár (*1977) is a graphic designer and photographer. His linocut prints are photographic bounded sections of existing places, interiors or figures. He recreates real places visited many times into the real world with his graphic prints. In hushed concentration, we observe in his prints the presence of introverted moments of human figures that form a symbiotic whole with their environment. With the other members of the group, he is united by working in cycles, deepening and building on previously developed themes. His creative specificity is the desire to step out of the surface and create spatial objects based on graphic visuality.
Hana Zrno Vondrů (*1988) is the curator of the group. She studied aesthetics and cultural studies. She has been working professionally in museum and gallery institutions for more than ten years. She is delighted to be the curator of the graphics group as she is interested in „live“ artwork. She also manages the website and social media content.
presnostres@gmail.com
O mail a sítě grafické skupiny se stará kurátorka a produkční Hana Zrno Vondrů.
KONTAKT NA VÝTVARNÍKY
Eva Vápenková
caminoenvacio@gmail.com
Bronislava Bakule Malá
malabrona@seznam.cz
Jiří Hanuš
jirihanus81@gmail.com
Peter Kollár
petrokollar@gmail.com
Hana Zrno Vondrů
hana.vondru@gmail.com