Jiri Straka     Chinese sandwich

The sales exhibition presents a cross-section of the artist's work from 2010 to 2020. The exhibited works include everyday objects from Chinese streets, industrial themes of cables and wires, figural paintings mapping the fringe of Chinese society, as well as paintings inspired by the author's birthplace in the Krkonoše mountains. The element connecting all the artworks is the medium of ink wash painting, which the author has dedicated himself to consistently for over twenty years. The common motive is also the exploration of the border possibilities of ink wash painting and the search for contrasting, often contradictory and surprising solutions in its connection with the western visual tradition. Choosing themes that are foreign to ink wash painting and that give Chinese viewers an unsettling, unusual impression is also a typical feature of Straka's paintings. "Ink wash painting is not exactly therapy for me, but it is an attempt to solve the problem of one's own cultural identity torn between two completely different environments. It is an attempt to make an irrational urge make sense." says the artist.