Veronika Šramatyová —
From archives (Biennale Venezia)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

In a series of six gouaches titled From Archives (Venice Biennale), Veronika Šramatyová continues her strategy of not using painting as a tool for self-expression, but as an instrument for exploring specific laws of the art world, including its institutional context and pragmatic operation. The open series Barter Collection (since 2005) and Expanding Collection (since 2010) already have this character, where she used hyperrealist painting in order to thematise the process of building an art collection itself, as well as the existence of public institutions – galleries, established for these purposes. The cycle From Archives is once again composed as an open series, where important international exhibitions (Prague Biennale 2, Venice Biennale) become the subject of portrayal – a reality being an immediate part of the artistic micro-world. In this sequel, “snapshots” of Venice Biennale, the oldest survey of contemporary art taking place every two years in the Italian city of Venice, are captured in six small gouaches. As with most of her works, the pre-image of these was a photograph. Apart from thematising the artistic micro-world, in this case, the author does  not apply her typical strategy of transfer of photography into hyperrealist painting, but rather captures the atmosphere of the event, where viewers communicating with the exhibited artworks (and resting) play an important role.

Veronika Šramatyová is an author belonging to the distinctive personalities of the younger generation. The characteristic feature of her work are the neo-conceptual tendencies in painting. She is interested in the connection of the two media, painting and photography, constantly exploring and analysing them. She often thematises the borders between the artist and the gallery or viewer and an artwork.