About the artwork

Jakub Matuška
Portfolio of Personalities

2025
Drawing
Watercolor and ink on Arches paper
Framed
29,70 × 42 cm

The drawing Portfolio of Personalities (29.7 × 42 cm, watercolor and ink on Arches paper, framed) was exhibited at the Václav Špála Gallery as part of the exhibition First We Ran Out of Gas and Then We Crashed (2025). The relaxed drawing refers to illustrations or cartoons that I probably encountered as a child in the magazine Dikobraz—perhaps it was there that the artist’s fondness for linear drawing and various approaches to the stylization of the human figure first began to form.

The motif itself alludes to the idea that each of us carries several personas; we have learned to behave in certain ways and play different roles depending on the situation. Not all of them are usually on display, but it can happen that, for instance, during preparations for a family weekend, one unexpectedly slips out of control.

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.