Daniel Pešta
Works
Galleries
Montanelli Museum
Nerudova 13
11801 Praha 1
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 257 531 220
E-Mail: info@muzeummontanelli.com
Statement
Daniel Pešta was born in 1959 in Prague. A graduate of the Václav Hollar School of Art, he spent the totalitarian years existing outside of official cultural circles. His primary focus was on drawings, and he worked as a graphic artist. After 1989, he designed numerous series of illustrations for a classical music publisher, and won numerous awards for his book and poster work.
In the 1980s and ’90s, Pešta began applying his poster design techniques – which had always balanced on the boundary to painting – to non-commissioned work. Since the very beginning, he has been working to further develop his artistic style.
At first, he studied the figure and gave shape to its vulnerability. Later, he worked with portraits in which he focused primarily on expression. Over time, his works became more abstract; he reduced their colors and began to approach the essence of his visual style, which exists fully outside of contemporary influences.
After returning from his first study trip to New York in 1998, he begins to experiment with a diverse range of materials such as paper, wax, leather, and transparent resin. Such tactile material enabled him to penetrate even deeper into the complicated nature of the human soul. These works balance on the boundary of naturalist rawness; they touch on the most sensitive subjects such as the birth of life and its destruction – they get to the core of human essence. These attributes wind their way through his work to this day, and have become one of Pešta’s distinctive attributes.
Another typical feature of Pešta’s works, and one that permeates all his work, is the symbol of red string or red thread, painted in the color of blood. The string symbolizes the inevitability of fate, but also the never-ending story of the human race. It tangles, stitches, and perforates the fragile existence of the individual. Into the transparent resin, he seals the stories of entire generations, which he seeks out in period photographs. He creates large-scale “genetic codes” and series of “dark assemblages” on the subject of injustice and loss of dignity. He uncompromisingly seals his older pictures or objects into resin in strict blocks and columns, thus relativizing the meaning of art itself but paradoxically also opening up other possibilities for visual expression. Pešta gradually transforms the portrait into a mask-like expression, which he views as a symbol of affectation and anonymity. For Pešta, the mask becomes the central motif in his conceptual projects as well as in his original works of video art. His videos speak in a clear language, without supplementary historical information. In terms of subject matter, Pešta’s work frequently touches on political or social issues, but always remains visually concrete. His works’ genesis is subject to meticulous preparations, and often their final form is the result of years of effort.
Daniel Pešta is what is called a multimedia artist. He refuses to limit himself to just one medium, but steadfastly experiments across the full spectrum of expressive tools, through which all our senses come together.
Biography
Solo exhibitions (selection)
2015
Brave new world, DOX
Art Biennale, Palazzo Bembo, (Personal Structures), Venice
2014
I was born in your bed, Litomyšl
2013
I was born in your bed, Sala del Camino, Venice, Italy
Art in catastrophe, Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin, Germany
2012
On Another Planet (In the name of love..), Artinbox, Prague, Czech Rep. (with Suzanne Pastor)
Gravitation Zero, Art Museum, Solingen, Germany
2011
Levitation, Felix Nussbaum House Museum of Modern Art, Osnabrück, Germany
2010
Prague, MuMo, Museum Montanelli, Levitation
Düsseldorf, Galerie Maier-Hahn
2007
Prague, Acropolis, Sweet Home
2005
Berlin, Galerie Palais am Festungsgraben (with Václav Bláha)
Frankfurt am Main, Kunsthalle (with Václav Bláha)
2002
Prague, Crityics’ Gallery (Galerie Kritiku), White Zone
1998
New York, Montserrat Gallery
2000
New York, Montserrat Gallery
1995
Cheltenham, Axion Gallery
1993
Prague, Karolinum
Joint exhibitions (selection)
2015
Hybrid Effects, Palazzo Radetzky, Milan
London Biennale 2015
2014
Venice, Morphos, Sustainable Empire, Puzzels, Palazzo Albrizzi
Now & After, videoart festival, Alexandrinsky Theater in St.Petersburg
Regensburg, Gegenüberstellung (with Markus Lüpertz, Dorota Nieznalska, etc.)
Buenos Aires, Pixels of Identities, Galeria de Arte Laura Haber
Now&After Video Art Festival, Moscow
Genes and Generation, Artinbox Gallery, Prague
2013
Liquid Borders | Bari 2013, Italy
Where is my home?, DOX, Prague, Czech Rep.
Venice… Venice!, Museum Montanelli, Prague,Czech Rep.
Who lies also steals (Kdo lže, ten krade), Artinbox, Prague, Czech Rep.
London Art Biennale, London, UK
blinkvideo.de
2012
Dreaming, Artinbox, Prague, Czech Rep.
It’s Liquid Identities. Videoart Festival, Venice, Italy
Turn On, Tune In, Factory Art Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Maria Maria, Felix Nussbaum House, Osnabrück, Germany
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 Vojtech Míca)
Prague Biennale 3
2006
Berlín, Galerie Palais am Festungsgraben
Awards
2014
Now & After, Gulag Muzeum, Moscow (I was born in your bed), Honorable Jury Mention
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
Publications
2010 Daniel Pešta / Levitation
2006 Daniel Pešta / Sweet Home
Daniel Pešta
Solo exhibitions (selection) 2015 Brave new world, DOX Art Biennale, Palazzo Bembo, (Personal Structures), Venice 2014 I was born in your bed, Litomyšl 2013 I was born in your bed, Sala del Camino, Venice, Italy Art in catastrophe, Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin, Germany 2012On Another Planet (In the name of love..), Artinbox, Prague, Czech Rep. (with Suzanne Pastor) Gravitation Zero, Art Museum, Solingen, Germany 2011Levitation, Felix Nussbaum House Museum of Modern Art, Osnabrück, Germany 2010 Prague, MuMo, Museum Montanelli, Levitation Düsseldorf, Galerie Maier-Hahn 2007 Prague, Acropolis, Sweet Home 2005 Berlin, Galerie Palais am Festungsgraben (with Václav Bláha) Frankfurt am Main, Kunsthalle (with Václav Bláha) 2002 Prague, Crityics’ Gallery (Galerie Kritiku), White Zone 1998 New York, Montserrat Gallery 2000 New York, Montserrat Gallery 1995 Cheltenham, Axion Gallery 1993 Prague, Karolinum Joint exhibitions (selection) 2015 Hybrid Effects, Palazzo Radetzky, Milan London Biennale 2015 2014 Venice, Morphos, Sustainable Empire, Puzzels, Palazzo Albrizzi Now & After, videoart festival, Alexandrinsky Theater in St.Petersburg Regensburg, Gegenüberstellung (with Markus Lüpertz, Dorota Nieznalska, etc.) Buenos Aires, Pixels of Identities, Galeria de Arte Laura Haber Now&After Video Art Festival, Moscow Genes and Generation, Artinbox Gallery, Prague 2013 Liquid Borders | Bari 2013, Italy Where is my home?, DOX, Prague, Czech Rep. Venice… Venice!, Museum Montanelli, Prague,Czech Rep. Who lies also steals (Kdo lže, ten krade), Artinbox, Prague, Czech Rep. London Art Biennale, London, UK blinkvideo.de 2012 Dreaming, Artinbox, Prague, Czech Rep. It’s Liquid Identities. Videoart Festival, Venice, Italy Turn On, Tune In, Factory Art Gallery, Berlin, Germany Maria Maria, Felix Nussbaum House, Osnabrück, Germany 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 Vojtech Míca) Prague Biennale 3 2006 Berlín, Galerie Palais am Festungsgraben Awards 2014Now & After, Gulag Muzeum, Moscow (I was born in your bed), Honorable Jury Mention 2009Prague, The Most Beautiful Book of the Year, nomination in the catalogue category 2002Prague, The Most Beautiful Book of the Year, prize awarded in the bibliophille category 2001Florence Biennale 3, prize awarded in the new media category 1990Mexico 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 Publications 2010 Daniel Pešta / Levitation 2006 Daniel Pešta / Sweet Home