Černický Jiří

For Jiří Černický, art is not purely a conduit of expression, but further functions as an indispensable instrument of provocation and revolution. In 1986, Černický had no intention of pursuing a career as a renowned visual artist. Instead, he enrolled in a local teaching-training college program in Ústí nad Labem, Czechia where he nurtured his studies in the arts and Russian language. The rising proclamations and aspirations of the commencing 1989 Velvet Revolution captivated Černický’s attention. Galvanized by the avante-garde of the Russian revolution, Černický continued to explore art as an instrument of change. His canvases were any resource closest to him. Old tarpaulin and train carts carrying coal were slathered with one provocative demand: ‘Free Elections’. Following the end of the revolution and a period heading a mine brigade, Černický’s affinity for artistic expression was resurrected by his acceptance into the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in 1990, consecutively followed by his enrollment at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in 1993. His dedication to art as a socio-political conduit continues to reverberate in his contemporary, inter-media oeuvre. Dancing between visual poetry, photography, video art, sculpture, painting, and other modes of mixed-media, Černický crafts immersive exhibitions that challenge viewers to confront the rotting underbelly of our socio-political climate.