The possibilities of an artistic search frequently combine apparently antagonistic artistic and technological elements. Ján Kelemen has tested various technological processes and methods in his creative experiments. He did not consider the prevailing abstract character of painting as the only artistic form. His searching quality resulted from his emotional relationship to nature, natural materials, structures and figurativeness. This unconventional mode of thinking led to the use of various materials and artistic forms and his original interest in printmaking and painting has expanded to take in ceramics, sculpture, performances and the creation of objects. Space, along with repoussoir works, became an integral part of his work. Space as a place for sculpture and object as well as a place for direct interventions that go beyond environmental protection.
The intent of this exhibition, which features a selection of his most recent paintings and sculptures, is to create a synthesis of colors and shapes within the context of the spatial forms of sculptures. The action painting from earlier periods has receded in favor of color areas and more disciplined lines that even approach geometry. His artistic language does not rely on calligraphic gesture but rather builds on the monumentality of shapes and expanding colors. Kelemen discovered a new field for experimentation in glass. This material offers him different possibilities for modeling and works well with another element – light. His structured panels made of fused glass combined as objects with shiny glass balls and incorporated ceramics will have their premiere here. The space is completed by a set of ceramic sculptures derived from figures. The artist chose a geometrizing form arising from conical and cylinder shapes. The internal link among the paintings and spatial artwork expresses the artist’s basic idea of the search for balance between natural and abstract forms.
Ján Kelemen is a painter, graphic artist, sculptor and multimedia artist. He was born in 1957 in Šurany. From 1976 to 1982 he studied in the studio of prof. Albín Brunovský at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava. He is active involved in painting, printmaking, drawing, ceramics and sculpture, installations, performances and multimedia projects and participates in the following international sculpture symposiums dedicated to environmental revitalization: Ekoart, Osrblie, Woodcarving Stromovka, České Budějovice, Stretnutie – Devín, Balunky, Jahodná, Sebedražie. In 1996 he and his friends Ján Hlavatý and Alexej Kraščenič founded A1, an informal association and they exhibit together at home and abroad.
