Press release
Rhodes Contemporary Art is proud to present our inaugural solo show with Czech artist Jan Kalab. The show brings together a collection of new original works, drawing inspiration from the sky, sun, and natural gradients of light created at dusk.
As a graffiti pioneer in his native Czech Republic, Jan Kalab made his name in the late 90s. As his work developed, he found a new way to push his own limits and challenge himself by making 3-D Graffiti. Under the name of Point, he sculpted huge abstract letters he chose to put in the streets and on the walls. This was another form of graffiti, in daylight, and without a spray, but truthful to the spirit of competition and innovation of the urban scene. In turn, these sculptures lead him to experiment with more abstract sculptural forms, a path he’s been exploring through canvas from 2007, using acrylic painting and brushes.
Kalab’s striking sense of colour is undeniable, creating beautifully ethereal works with so much emotive content, purely through the abstract use of shape and tone.
‘My work is obviously not narrative. It is emotional. I’m trying to transfer a universal emotion which could be understood by anyone. I believe it’s possible to work very abstract, but create concrete feelings or recall certain memories, same as flavour.’
Kalab invites the viewer to stand in front of his works and allow themselves to be immersed in them; how does it make you feel?
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