Jakub Matuška
People 50/50 III
30.500 CZK
About the artwork
Jakub Matuška
People 50/50 IV
2022
Drawing
Watercolour and gouache on Arches paper
A4, framed
21 × 29,70 cm
In stock
Watercolour and gouache on Arches paper, A4 format. All drawings are framed.
The figures are from a series of 70 drawings titled People 50/50, which was exhibited at the AJG in Hluboká as part of the exhibition Until the Wings of Swallows Smooth the Granite Block from the Surface of the Earth (2023). The intention behind this series was to create 100 drawings, half featuring male and half female figures. The author wanted to move away from constructing specific narratives, situations, or relationships between individual figures, and instead allow himself to be surprised by what would begin to emerge organically from such a large body of work.
Although each figure was meant to be different, it became apparent that certain things kept repeating, kept bubbling to the surface. The unsteady line depicts bodies that are mostly past their physical peak — the majority appear slightly tired or confused, and those who are not may well find themselves there one day too. And that in the end it will all be something like fifty-fifty.
About author
Jakub Matuška (b. 1981), known as Masker, is among the leading Czech artists of his generation. Having moved from graffiti and street art into painting and drawing, he also works with installation and public space. His practice brings together the grotesque, personal themes, and social conflicts, examining the relationship between image, language, and reality. He combines spontaneous ballpoint pen drawing, digital manipulation, and classical painting techniques. Among Masker’s central concerns is the fragility of human life, rendered through twisted and distorted forms combined with a grotesque quality that leavens otherwise heavy subjects. Matuška is a finalist of the Jindřich Chalupecký Award and a recipient of the NG 333 prize. He exhibits regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad.
