Garden

2017

Year
2017

Place
StromART gallery, Brno

Curators
Petr Kamenický, Markéta Žáčková

It is not far-fetched to compare Ondřej Kotrč (aka DJ KidO) and his artistic approach to the act of mixing. He is the unmistakable deejay of painting abstraction, blending traces of minimalism, ready-made practices, and pop cultural elements into a unique visual rhythm. As such, the exhibition could not be limited to the presentation of painting alone – though it remains his primary medium, albeit reimagined in various ways. Instead, it also incorporates objects and installations, further expanding the scope of his artistic language.

The exhibition’s title, Garden, is intended by the artist to evoke notions of diversity, incoherence, spontaneous growth, and perpetual transformation. As to the self-sufficiency rooted in recycling and using low-cost materials, or in disrupting the usual demands for a “serious approach” to the image, we can also talk about the specific form of “guerilla gardening in painting”. At the same time, it is “guerilla gardening” in the form of defending his independence towards global trends, institutional frameworks, or strategies of self-presentation (in art). What sets Kotrč apart is that his independence is not a mere phrase but a deeply authentic quality – one that may pose challenges to his broader artistic reach, yet also grants him unparalleled freedom to explore and cultivate his own creative garden.

Ondřej Kotrč Art Archive Profile