(*1987, Bratislava)

2007 – 2012, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, starting at the School of Conceptual Tendencies under Prof. Miloš Šejna, received his master's degree in the Tomáš Vaněk´s Intermedia III studio. He works in painting, drawing and performance. He lives and works in Bratislava.

Conceptual lecturing has probably had the most significant influence on the painting work of Ján Valik. Although this work looks traditional at first glance, the artist understands the painting as a movement or flow; its foundation is not based on classical painting techniques or genres. His painterly expression is an independent system based on the absorption of sensations and phenomena. Valik tries to find a degree of abstraction in the painting that evokes multiple interpretations, but always in such a way that the reading of the painting works mainly on the level of its atmosphere. Drawing plays an important role in his expression, it does not only serve as a record, he handles it more spontaneously, it has different qualities for him and works in a different way than painting. In drawing, he focuses more on line as a fundamental element, stroke and line as a separate entity on its own, which is closely related to Valik's performative interests. In them, he focuses mainly on the method of improvisation based on the cultivation of sensitivity to the body, image, memory, language and environment. The initiating point for the artist was an encounter with Japanese Butoh dance during his university studies.

The text is from the catalogue for the competition Painting 2016, N. Gažovičová

Read more about the author:

https://janvalik.com/

https://www.artbookscoffee.sk/blog/2022/04/07/jan-valik-takmer-bez-nazvu/