Jan Kaláb

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DSC09012_008 web
DSC09019_012 web
82 x 95 cm Cadmium Radiance 921, 2021, acrylic on canvas
151 x 151 cm Kaleidoscope 1220 2021 copyweb2
207 x 207 cm Repetitive Gradient 521 2021 copyweb
122 x 76 cm Purple Gate copy
100 x 100 cm Orange Radiance in Cloverleaf 921, 2021, acrylic on 4 canvases copy
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Jan Kaláb (b. 1978) presents vibrant and dynamic compositions that meld the versatility of his canvas medium with the layered depth of sculpture. Incorporating studies in structure and mood, the artist delivers paintings resplendent in organic form. Playing with variations in geometry, Kaláb paints on constructed canvases of various shapes and combinations. The evolution of his style has led to a distillation of ephemeral color. He captures light and shade that seem to move with the curves of the substrate, becoming one. His pieces are harmonious and minimalist studies – immersive works that reflect his complex understanding of the fluidity in the signs and symbols of abstraction.

When Jan Kaláb was born in 1978 in Czechoslovakia, graffiti was not to be seen in the Eastern World. In the 1990s, as the country was opening itself to western influences, he became one of the pioneers of the local scene, and founded an iconic crew, the DSK. Sleepless nights around train yards, light tubes at police stations, and above all, hard work on his style, Kaláb went through all the classical steps of a graffiti writer’s career. Since 2007, he has focused on the abstraction of form and color in his studio work, and studied formally at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. For more than a decade the artist has explored this depth and motion with a vibrant chromatic energy, exhibiting in institutions throughout Europe, and North and South America.

With time, his forms became more and more geometric. He used colorful squares and circles as an obsessive vocabulary for infinite variations around depth, time, and motion. Playing with circles introduced organic imperfection and movement into his compositions. Dynamic form was also crucial in his experiments, evident when he took pictures of his paintings in the streets of the city. The project became a social one when he realized he needed help from strangers to carry his canvases. These interactions fueled his creativity – the collective energy becoming crucial to his artistic process.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

 

2018

“Perspective of Clouds” Mirus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“The Soul of Graffiti” Albin Polasek Museum, Winter Park, FL
“Point of Space” Trafo Gallery, Praha Czech Republic


2017

“ZOOOM” Magma Gallery, Bologna, Italy


2016

“Pulso Cromático” Fabien Castanier Gallery, Bogotá, Colombia
“Pluriforme” Openspace Gallery, Paris, France


2015

“TENSION”, BC Gallery, Berlin, DE
“ODYSSEY”, Lollipop Gallery, London, UK
“EXTRA”, Villa Pellé, Prague, CZ
“Getting Up”, Partisan Creative Corner, Soest, DE


2014

“ART IN PUBLIC”, Pop up exhibition, Šmeralova 6, Praha, CZ
“ART IN PUBLIC”, Pop up exhibition, 103 Allen Street, New York, USA
“AROUND THE POINT”, HIC Gallery, Buenos Aires, AR


2013

“SALUT”, H’art Gallery, Bucharest, RO
“FROM POINT TO CIRCLE AND BACK”, Oko Gallery, Opava, CZ
“POINT / ALTERNATE PLAN(E)S”, the Chemistry Gallery, Prague, CZ


2012

“GOOD CHOICE”, Czech centre, Sofia, BG


2011

“KALÁB 33 / PLANETS CROSSING” , Trafačka, Prague, CZ


2008

“POINT SHOP”, Trafo Gallery, Prague, CZ


 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

 

2018

“Time is Now” Fabien Castanier Gallery, Miami, FL


2017

“Urban Art Bienalle” Volklinger Ironworks, Volklinger, Germany
“Perceptual Vertigo” Avantgarden Gallery, Milan, Italy
“No More Crew” Urban Spree, Berlin, Germany
“Abstrakt Forum” Forum Przestrzenie, Krakow, Poland
“Abantarte x Unitlondon” the Unit London Gallery, London, UK


2016

“TRANSBORDER”, Fabien Castanier Gallery, Los Angeles
“Pop-Up Exhibition” Fabien Castanier Gallery, Miami, USA
“ZMRTVYCHVSTANI” Trafo Gallery, Prague, CZ
“Mimesis” MAGMA Gallery, Bolonga IT
“HZGSJK” Goldenhands Gallery, Hamburg, DE


2015

“OPEN ART” – art biennale, Orebro, SE
“Et Cetera”, MAXXI muzeum, Roma, IT


2014

“TRAFACKA – CLOSE”, Trafacka gallery, Prague, CZ
“ARTMOSSPHERE” – 1st streetart biennale, Moscow, RU
“OUTSIDE / INSIDE”, Tabla Rasa gallery, Brooklyn – New York, USA
“TRAFACKA / TEMPLE OF FREEDOM”, Red Gallery, London, UK
“CHILDREN OF KUPKA”, City Hall Putaux, FR


2013

“ET CETERA”, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Prague, CZ


2012

“STUCK ON THE CITY”, City Gallery Prague, Prague, CZ
“STREET SMART”, Kulturhuset, Stockholm, SE
“THREE FROM TRAFACKA”, Gallery of Modern Art, Roudnice nad Labem, CZ


2011

“DE DENTRO E DE FORA”, MASP museum, São Paulo, BR
“BOUTIQUE”, The Chemistry Gallery, Prague, CZ


2010

“1st BIENNAL DE GRAFFITI FINE ART”, MUBE museum, São Paulo, BR
“METROPOLIS”, Pavilion of Czech Republic, EXPO 2010, Shanghai, CN


2009

“STORAGE”, The Chemistry Gallery, Prague, CZ
“60 DETAILS” project, Moscow, RU
“WE BELIEVE IN CRISIS”, Trafo gallery, Prague, CZ


2008

“NAMES”, Trafacka gallery, Prague, CZ
“CITY’S CELEBRITIES”, Moravian Gallery, Brno, CZ
“FACES AND LACES”, Moscow, RU


2007

“5+kk”, Trafo gallery, Prague, CZ
“PLANET PROZESS”, Senatsreservenspeicher, Berlin, DE
“SPACE FOR INTUITION”, City Gallery Prague, Prague, CZ


2006

“TRAFACKA – OPEN”, Trafacka gallery, Prague, CZ
“ART BEAT”, BG, Amsterdam, NL


2005

“CITY OF NAMES”, Kunsthalle Bethanien, Berlin, DE


2004

“OBJECTIVITY”, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, UK
“EVERWANTING STREETS”, Röda Sten, Göteborg, SE


2003

“BACK JUMPS (the Live issue)”, Kunsthalle Bethanien, Berlin, DE
“GENESIS”, Ten 15, San Francisco, USA
“DA PAINTAZ”, NoD Gallery, Prague, CZ
“3rd SHOW OF YOUNG ARTISTS”, Regional Gallery of Fine Arts, Zlín, CZ


2002

“SUBCULTURE”, NoD Gallery, Prague, CZ
“FRESH MEAT”, City Gallery Prague, Prague, CZ


2001

“FRAGMENTS 4”, Mánes gallery, Prague, CZ

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