JAROMÍR NOVOTNÝ

Jaromír Novotný is a contemporary artist whose practice explores and challenges the fundamental tenets of formalist painting. His work investigates the limits of the medium through a slow, deliberate process that honours the inherent qualities of his materials. Rather than imposing his will, he allows the material to guide him—accepting and responding to its nature with sensitivity and restraint.

The past year has been particularly dynamic for Novotný. His work was featured in Unknown Familiars, a group exhibition at Vienna’s Leopold Museum. He held a solo exhibition, As Seen As In Their Natural Environment, at Fait Gallery in Brno in 2024. A notable earlier presentation also includes the 2021 exhibition, Other Things Held Constant, at the House of Arts in Brno.

This upcoming exhibition marks Novotný’s third solo show with Axel Vervoordt Gallery and the artist’s first presentation at Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Kanaal. His debut solo exhibition with the gallery, Look Again, took place in 2017 in Hong Kong, followed by Just a Narrow Range of Possible Things in 2020.

The exhibition leads visitors through several distinct groups of paintings. Each focussed on a fundamental element of the medium—such as line, colour, and format—and invites reflection on the painting’s most essential components.

The opening will be held on Saturday, September 13, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.