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About the gallery
We are opening the Art brut Prague Gallery as the first exhibition space in Prague focused exclusively on the work of artists who, for various reasons, are unable or unwilling to join the mainstream art scene.
“Here, things are raised proudly
and more stabbingly,
the world is full of edges
on which we have
hurt ourselves many times.”
The quote, taken from Josef Čapek’s groundbreaking book The Most Modest Art, will greet all visitors at the entrance as a foreshadowing of the type of work they will encounter here.
To clearly define the gallery, the name was chosen after the painter Jean Dubuffet’s famous term art brut – usually translated in Czech as “art in its raw state”.
But not all the artists the gallery will represent necessarily fall into the category of art brut as it is usually conceived. Some of them, for various reasons, become outsiders, not even classifiable in this field.
The selection of the artists is basically conditioned by the absence of any conscious calculation in their work aimed at achieving success in the world of contemporary art.
The gallery also wants to support its artists by making their works available for sale.
Exhibitions
Karel Pajma
Linear Curves
Křivky podle pravítka
16. 1.–15. 2. 2025
Curator of the exhibition: Jaromír Typlt
Karel Pajma (*1979) is deeply content with lines—he doesn’t need anything more. He creates them entirely by hand, using only a ruler and protractor, without any computer assistance. Despite the frequent misconception that his drawings are digitally generated, Pajma is steadfast in his belief that he does everything manually. This process requires such intense focus that he can only sustain it for limited periods to avoid mental fatigue.
Moreover, he doesn’t even use a pair of compasses. The curves and circles in his work are achieved by the careful arrangement of straight lines, and it’s all about the angle from which they are viewed. To make the transformation from straight to curved fully clear, Pajma sometimes constructs illustrative models using paper and taut strings. He often cites his grandfather, a teacher of descriptive geometry, as the source of his passion for drawing. Pajma’s knowledge of design and pattern making also extends to tailoring—a craft he learned and even applies by creating his own suits. He sometimes proudly wears one of his creations to the opening of his exhibitions.
Since 2013, Pajma has been a regular participant at the Studio of Joyful Creativity, which has provided both a supportive environment and the opportunity to showcase his work. Over time, his reputation has grown internationally, with his works featured in Paris as part of the exhibition of abstract expressions in art brut (exhibition “in abstracto #3” at the Christian Berst Gallery, February to March 2023) and in New York for the “Fine Lines” exhibition at the Cavin-Morris Gallery (October to December 2023), which explored unconventional drawing techniques. Pajma’s most comprehensive solo exhibition to date was held in Prague at Café Nona in the New Stage building of the National Theatre (“My Hilarious Features,” October 2022 to January 2023).
“I like the fact that when I look at my drawings on paper, after a while, a space actually forms,” says Pajma. Over the years, his work has evolved into airy, color-infused, and beautifully composed architectures. These are, in essence, “linear constructions in space,” as Naum Gabo, a prominent sculptor of the Russian Constructivist avant-garde, described his own works in the 1940s and 1950s. One might also think of harps, lyres, and other stringed instruments. At its core, it’s pure geometry, but the experience it evokes is musical.
Jaromír Typlt
About the authors
The main circle of authors is formed by the persons who create in the Studio of Joyful Creation at Letná: Dagmar Filípková, Šárka Hojaková, Dominik Jirsa, Jarmila Jandová, Marie Kohoutková, Václav Kuklík, Marie Kůsová, Lorenzo, Karel Pajma, Lukáš Paleček, Vojtěch Proske, George Radojčič, Iveta Riminka Filí, Ladislav Svoboda will be presented here.
However, internationally known names such as Anna Zemánková or Zdeněk Košek will also be represented. Other authors who have already gained attention include Hana Fousková, La Inthonkaew, Ota Prouza, Helena Skalická and Tomáš Krupka.
Practical information
The gallery will be open five afternoons a week, Tuesday to Saturday 2 – 7pm.
www.artbrutpraha.cz
artbrut.praha@gmail.com
+420 606 028 942 (during opening hours)
+420 602 646 665 (out of hours)
Postal address: Galerie Art brut Praha, Resslova 300/6,
120 00 Praha 2 – Nové Město.
About the place and the founder
The gallery acquired its space after the renovation of a long unused technical building at St. Wenceslas Church in Zderaz.
The operator is the Altán Art association, which has so far been active mainly in Letná: in 2013 it opened the Studio of Joyful Creation here as the first Czech studio providing facilities for artists falling into the category of art brut, and in 2017 it opened up also to the wider public by establishing the ART Cultural and Community Centre, where senior citizens and people with disabilities develop their artistic interests together. Vladimír Drábek is the main representative of the association. More information on the website www.altanart.cz .
Curator
Jaromír Typlt (1973) is a poet, performer and essayist. During 2000-2010 he worked in Liberec as a curator of photography and contemporary art exhibitions at the Small Exhibition Hall and then at the U Rytíře Gallery. Since the end of the 1990s he has also helped to promote the work of overlooked authors, publishing the first book on Zdeněk Košek (2001), literary texts by Hana Fousková, František Novák and many others. In 2018, he started cooperation with the association Altán Art. He has long focused on the topic of “écrits bruts” – written expressions in art brut.
Gallery partners
Studio of Joyful Creation at Letná
Czechoslovak Hussite Church in Prague 2 – New Town
Graphic studio chapter
abcd praha
Media partners
Analogon
Revolver Revue
Souvislosti
I am convinced that a considerable circle of artists, those interested in art brut and the
Pavel Konečný, art brut collector
professional public can form around the Art Brut Prague gallery in a very short time. The
project is a positive response not only to initiatives stemming from the vibrant undercurrent of
our spontaneous creativity, but also responds to calls from foreign cultural institutions to
strengthen the voice of outsider art, including by improving intercultural cooperation and
dialogue across European borders.