The aquarium is a unique piece of the aquatic world, a slice of water that we cannot otherwise grasp because of its size and inner richness. While the aquarium is an exciting ever-changing environment, its scale makes us feel that we can understand at least that small piece of the world over time. Markéta Bábková, who grew up with an aquarium next door, had a similar aspiration. Bábková is a keen observer, and this comes through in her paintings and prints, in which she records her immediate surroundings. For her, any space is a living organism whose pulse is shaped by the changing relationships of its static and dynamic components. She was able to realize the layered nature of vision even while observing what was happening in the aquarium. It was these memories of the dynamic water scenery that became the cornerstone for the development of the exhibition project with sculptor Adam Kovalčík.
The large model of the aquarium is composed of wooden panels into which Bábková has carved various views of the grasses planted in the middle of the glass walls. The depicted plants, by their composition, form an abundant aquarium environment suitable for aquatic life. The panels then served the artist as a matrix for large-scale prints. In printing them, she played with overlapping and mixing individual versions, and the resulting juxtapositions bring new dimensions to the view. The clear space depicted on the wooden panels becomes a whole new environment in the prints, forcing us to constantly explore the visual experience. With the prints on display, we have time to become aware of the conditions and how human perception changes. The pieces of wood that remained after the engraving were then processed by sculptor Adam Kovalčík with his individual approach. Kovalčík approaches his themes and assignments with a distinctive ease. His works and realisations reflect his humour and his ability to playfully reveal the essence of things, which is why he has created a shimmering school of fish swimming in the air out of scraps of boards, waste material from the creation of prints. The fish clusters follow the form of an aquarium. They are its imprint and filling. The exhibition project "In the Aquarium" was born from the friendship and cooperation of both artists and was created gradually through concentrated work. It is a process of exploring both the real world and the possibilities of the medium.
Markéta Bábková (*1993) lives and works in Prague. She is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, studio Painting III, Michael Rittstein School, Josef Bolf School (2013-2019). In 2017 she studied at Universitatea se Arte in Bucharest (painting studio, Petru Lucaci School). Her painting and graphic work has been awarded in several competitions, such as Graphic of the Year 2018 in two categories (student work, special prize for graphic technique) (2019); Audience's Sympathy Award in the 14th Critics' Prize for Young Painting with Overlaps (2021); Grand Prize for Large Format in the Graphic of the Year 2023 (2024).
Adam Kovalčík (*1989) lives and works in Prague. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, studio of Figurative Sculpture by Prof. Jan Hendrych (2008-2014). In 2009 he completed an internship at the Academy of Fine Arts, studio of all sculpture by Kurt Gebauer. Recently he realized a monument of politician Jaroslav Kubera in Teplice. In several competitions for the realization of works in public space he won the first prize - Art for the Marketplace (Karlínský Vor), the monument to Zdeněk Hejduk in Kolín, the Water Element under the Žižkov Steps (Pumps), the statue of Jan Nepomucký for the roundabout in Nepomuk (not realized). He is the author of the memorial plaque of the architect Jan Kaplický, the Teplice City Prize, the medal of the Ministry of Culture Artis Bohemiae Amicis. He received awards for portrait work (Václav Havel, Jan Kaplický). He was nominated together with the TYFORMY studio for the Czech Grand Design Award 2018 as the discovery of the year.
The last time the artists exhibited together was in 2021 at the exhibition It Began with a Monkey at the Pit 10 gallery in Ostrava.
Curator: Anežka Chalupová
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