DANIEL PEŠTA - CZ Daniel Pešta was born in Prague in 1959. During the Communist regime he moved outside the official <strong>art</strong>istic and social circles. He changed his jobs often in order to be able to dedicate his spare time to his free <strong>art</strong>istic creations. Later he worked in the field of applied graphic <strong>art</strong>, especially poster design, which he had studied at the Václav Hollar Art College. After 1989 he designed a series of album covers for a classicalmusic publisher. He engaged himself in graphic arrangements of catalogues, receiving awards for book and poster design. In his free creations Pešta systematically develops in his own unmistakable style. He dedicates himself primarily to drawing and painting, in time he begins to experiment with a wide variety of natural materials, such as wood, paper, wax and leather. In 1998 and 2000 he introduces his work at his own exhibitions in New York. These study journeys are the milestone for the author’s creative work and subsequently bear fruit fully manifesting themselves in 2003, when he moves away from painting and FACTORY-ART <strong>gallery</strong> TURN ON, TUNE IN! pag. 34 begins to create with transparent acrylic materials, working with photographs. He seals his older rolled-up pictures into tightly-shaped columns, giving rise to the “Genetic Codes” and a series of “dark assemblages”, he implements conceptual projects, he films video<strong>art</strong>. On the front elevation of the Felix Nussbaum Museum in the German town of Osnabrück he places a display of a dimensional neon work. In museums of contemporary <strong>art</strong> in Prague, Osnabrück and Solingen he presents conceptualised projects on the theme of masks and concrete figures. After a prolonged pause he p<strong>art</strong>ially returns to painting. Pešta’s works are exempt from aesthetic kitsch, often hovering on the edge of raw naturalism. In the majority of cases they reflect the social and political situation. His masterful psychological analysis of the individual or society at large impedes any pathos whatsoever. The genesis of his works is subordinated to a precise preparation, he progressively works on their final form over a number of years. Daniel Pešta has shown his work at dozens of oneman exhibitions in both Europe and America. He is represented in important museums and collections, he attends biennales of contemporary <strong>art</strong>. He is a member of the Mánes SVU Association, he lives and works in Prague and Frankfurt am Main. Solo Exhibitions (selection) 2012 Prague, Artinbox (with Suzanne Pastor) 2012 Solingen, Art Museum, Gravitation Zero 2011 Osnabrück, Felix Nussbaum House Museum of Modern Art, Levitation 2010 Prague, MuMo, Museum Montanelli, Levitation 2010 Düsseldorf, Galerie Maier-Hahn 2007 Prague, Acropolis, Sweet Home 2005 Berlin, Galerie Palais am Festungsgraben (with Václav Bláha) 2005 Frankfurt am Main, Kunsthalle (with Václav Bláha) 2002 Prague, Crityics’ Gallery (Galerie Kritiků), White Zone 1998 New York, Montserrat Gallery 2000 New York, Montserrat Gallery 1995 Cheltenham, Axion Gallery 1993 Prague, Karolinum Joint Exhibitions (selection) 2012 Osnabrück, Maria Maria, Felix Nussbaum House 2011 Prague, Artinbox, The Art of Giving Birth 2010 Solingen Museum, Francisco de Goya - Vision of Symptoms and Hope 2009 Prague Biennale 4 2007 Klatovy, Statues for Baroque Niches (with Vojtěch Míča) 2007 Prague Biennale 3 2006 Berlín, Galerie Palais am Festungsgraben Awards 2009 Prague, The Most Beautiful Book of the Year, nomination in the catalogue category 2002 Prague, The Most Beautiful Book of the Year, prize awarded in the bibliophille category 2001 Florence Biennale 3, prize awarded in the new media category 1990 Mexico City Biennale 1, prize awarded in the Political Poster category Representation in collections (selection) Felix Nussbaum House Museum of Modern Art, Osnabrück, Germany Art Museum Solingen, Collection of Persecuted Art, Solingen, Germany MuMo, Museum Montanelli, Prague, Czech Republic Michael Hayden collection, Geelong, Australia Museum F. (Statues for a Baroque Niche, Klatovy, Czech Republic National Museum of Posters, Mexico City
DANIEL PEŠTA - CZ Title:Separation from Twenty Families, 2011 Author has violently removed one individual from 20 randomly chosen historical family portraits. This refers to the division of family units by totalitarian regimes or the hand of unfavorable destiny. technique: mixed media size: image 25x25 cm FACTORY-ART <strong>gallery</strong> TURN ON, TUNE IN! pag. 35
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