When I started this blog, I set myself a goal of introducing you to designers, artists and other inspiring people. Today, I am once again making good on that promise by chatting with Filip Švehla, a very talented Czech artist whose colorful large scale pieces (inspired by his international immersions) have captivated contemporary art lovers on both sides of the Atlantic.

And there is more. As a bonus, I also got the opportunity to speak to another rising star on the Czech art scene, the curator of Filip’s current show, Jan Čejka. You can find his perspective at the end of the article. I hope you enjoy the artwork and both conversations as much as I did.

Filip, when I first met you, your work captivated me with its vibrancy and the ideas hidden within it. For readers who haven't yet had the honor to meet you, who is Filip Švehla? How did you get into art?

I would say I'm generally a very optimistic person, but one with a significant inner tension. And, that's also reflected in my work. I got into art sometime in the early stages of puberty. At that time, it was mainly a way to cope with the pressures of adolescence and get them out of my system. I was fortunate to have a great art teacher back then. He was able to brilliantly guide and nurture our enthusiasm for painting. At the age of 13, he treated us as his artistic peers, and that was really encouraging. Later on, I got into the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and that's where I started to develop a more professional approach to art.

Your artwork is interesting because it has evolved over time. Who or what was your initial inspiration? And how have you progressed since then? Who or what inspires you today?

Perhaps my first source of strong inspiration was a movie about Jackson Pollock. His struggle and expressiveness captivated me for a long time. But later on, many other inspirations followed. During my years at the Academy, I focused on figurative motifs, often with a strong symbolic element. But, I always had a great need to experiment. I realized that the subject of the painting became less important to me than the process of creation, the act of painting itself. A turning point came during my thesis work, which I practically repainted from scratch during the last month of study. There, color and the painterly gesture began to take precedence over the subject of the painting. When I went to an internship in Valencia after graduation, that’s when everything truly turned upside down. The light, the colors, the relaxed atmosphere there gave my work a completely different direction. In a way, I still draw on that experience till today.

Use of color is another distinctive feature of your work. How do you perceive color? What does it represent for you? And although color is influenced by ideas and inspiration, are there colors that you favor, ones that you often return to?

For me, color is energy. I see it as an active element almost in a physical sense. I find it very fitting to compare painting to music, where color is a kind of tone. Therefore, I wouldn't say that one color is more important to me than another; each can have its place and play its "role," depending on its relationships with other colors in the painting. But on the other hand, and aside from theory, I often reach for red; it might indeed have certain specific properties for constructing an image or simply align with my nature. And, although it might not appear that way at first glance, I also like muted colors, various shades of gray, and so on, which bring an airy quality to the painting.

Another "signature" feature of your work is the precision of composition and execution of each theme and painting. Can you tell me more about that? How does each composition come to life?

Actually, since I'm more of a chaotic person by nature, I impose that precision on myself as a conscious constraint, a form of asceticism. Most of my recent works are based on sketches from colored collages, which I can create very quickly and use to define my relationship with expressiveness. However, during the execution, I often distill them into a much more rigid form. It's something I'm still exploring, but the need to oscillate between expression and order is inherent to me.

As someone who works in branding and often helps clients create names for their brands, I can't resist asking: how do you come up with names for your works?

You've caught me there! Naming paintings is a real challenge for me - my associations and inspirations are mostly visual, and connecting them with text is often quite difficult. I often leave paintings untitled or go with a momentary idea that comes to me.

I know that you often travel for inspiration. Tell me more about that. How do you choose where to go, and what do you look for in each new place? How do you absorb its atmosphere?
A significant part of my inspiration comes from the atmospheres of different places, and traveling allows me to be much more receptive to new environments. I don't travel systematically; most of the trips that had a greater meaning for me happened almost spontaneously when I seized an opportunity. I prefer to spend a longer time in one place, at least a few weeks or months, to get into the rhythm of everyday life and start perceiving the place subconsciously. Such journeys have always brought something new to my work.

In the past two years, you've spent a lot of time in the USA, including Miami, New York, and even Upstate New York. Tell me more about this experience. How did these places influence you, and what did they bring to your work?

The USA is a great example of spontaneity. One day, a gallerist from Miami visited my studio and offered me a residency at her gallery on the condition that I would leave within a week. Within a few days, I was painting under the Florida sun. Subsequent stays in the USA indirectly followed from that. I spent a total of six months in New York, and I think it was a formative experience that I still need to process. The incredible energy and openness to anything that you feel everywhere were like an infusion that I hadn't experienced anywhere else. In my opinion, it's one of those places that can't be described well; you just have to experience it. It was also pleasant to realize that it doesn't matter what you create there - the art scene is so vast that it can accommodate almost any artistic approach. You just have to do it consistently.

What's the next destination on your list? Where are you planning to go?

It's all very open for now, but I'm considering returning to New York for an extended period. Also, a friend and I are considering a trip to India, particularly Rajasthan; it's a place that has intrigued me for a long time. We'll see what happens first!

You've just opened an exhibition in Prague. What’s the theme. Where can we see it?

The exhibition is at the Post Office Museum Gallery in collaboration with curator and gallerist Jan Čejka. It is actually a kind of retrospective exhibition for me - I am presenting my work from the last five years or so. Since I've never had the opportunity to see my work like this with some distance and in the context of each other, I'm really happy to see that!

What is your ultimate dream, the goal you want to achieve?

If there's one thing I enjoy, it's pushing the horizons, always discovering new goals. I hope to achieve a dream that I can't even imagine yet.

I believe the young Czech art scene is great. Are there any places and fellow artists whose work you appreciate, and who we should all know about?

One fascinating artist on the Czech scene, in my opinion, is Ondřej Boušek. Simply put, he paints small oriental rugs in A3 format, but the concentration and radical nature of his approach take my breath away. I also really like Aleš Novák, especially his installations where he combines paintings with objects and creates strange, ambiguous atmospheres that evoke a certain nostalgia for me.

There can never be enough support for the arts. What would you wish for our artistic scene to flourish?

I would like to see greater connection with the world. It's still quite rare for foreign artists to be shown on the domestic scene. Of course, we're all on Instagram and can travel to exhibitions worldwide, but it's not the same. We need confrontation. Along with that comes a plurality of opinions because it's not about who holds the artistic truth, but about various opinions coexisting and developing towards their best forms.

And finally, I always enjoy learning about the person I'm talking to. Join me in this quick rapid fire!

Morning coffee or tea? Fruit juice!

Mountains or the sea? The sea!

Dog or cat? We've never had a pet. I like a clean carpet!

When I'm not working, I'm... enjoying doing nothing for a little bit!

For inspiration, I go to... the streets and old buildings.

A perfect weekend is spent... in the studio or on a trip.

My next trip will be to... nature; I want to do a small camping trip with a bonfire this year

And now, let’s get Jan’s perspective and peek into the work of one of the youngest curators on the Czech art scene. Remember his name, you are going to hear about him in the future.

I've always been fascinated by people who have a sense and passion for supporting contemporary art. Curatorial work is, of course, an integral part of that. How did you get into art and this profession at such a young age? What drew you to it?

Just as art is a life necessity for artists, both in terms of consumption and creation, it's the same for me. But even early on, in grade school art classes, I was more of an observer, looking over other people’s shoulders. And somehow, that stayed with me. Being an introvert, I prefer to express myself through a different format, rather than talking over a beer or posting on social media. At the same time, I enjoy facilitating artistic experiences because it's a much more diverse form of communication when I am not limited than to my own creative handwriting. Being a curator is the ideal profession for me.

How did your collaboration with Filip begin?

I was familiar with Filip's work from the Academy. However, our first collaboration came a year after his graduation. He was doing a residency in Valencia with Honza Heres. I felt that both of them deserved to summarize their year-long stay. How they experienced it, documented it, how they lived and created there.

What intrigued you the most about his work?

Perhaps it's his adaptability and courage. When it comes to adaptability, some artists may experience paralysis when they go somewhere new, and it takes a long time to overcome it. Often, nothing gets created. That's not the case with Filip. He immediately immerses himself in the local atmosphere, appropriates the local colors, rhythm, blends with the local environment, and even more impressively, he can translate that into his paintings! His early abstractions are messy, pasty, incredibly vibrant, and why? Because they are essentially compositions of Valencia's wall tiles from the impoverished neighborhoods. As for courage, with Filip, it's about believing in what he does. Few young artists invest as much time and resources into their work as he does. This belief in his work is particularly important. For example, Filip spent two years creating colored rectangles, knowing that few people understood him. Now he draws from those works, and he will for many years to come.

How did the idea for Filip's "retrospective" exhibition come about?

At the Pošta Gallery, I wanted to organize an exhibition themed “five colored stripes”. And, I also wanted an exhibition that could bring the practice of art closer to the public. Filip Švehla is exceptionally well suited for this because he both works with stripes and recently transitioned from a student to post-student life. And, he had the added challenge of incorporating travel and other elements that don't usually happen to young artists. The exhibition came on the heels of his three-month stay in New York. In addition, having observed the art scene over a longer period, it seemed to me that Filip was not getting the attention he deserved, despite creating works that are as good as the work of his more visible colleagues in Libeň studios.

What is your curatorial goal?

Many curators focus on a specific theme, or themes. I am taking a different path, although naturally, I am drawn to landscapes and paintings. My goal is bigger. It's about conveying authenticity where a person feels enriched by the artwork. Such satisfaction is not self-evident. It only occurs when the artwork is created naturally, without ulterior motives on the part of the artist. But, it's also essential to present the artwork in the right context. And that's where my work comes in.

The role of a curator is similar to that of a production manager. Many people have vested interest in an exhibition: the artist, the institution and its employees, the viewer and other select individuals, such as collectors and journalists. It's challenging to satisfy everyone, and you need coordinators for that. Usually, you need a production manager who takes care of the practical side of things (making sure everything is produced, delivered, installed on time and within budget), and a curator, who deals with the conceptual side of the project. That includes the idea, selection and arrangement of artworks, interpretation methods, texts, accompanying projects, etc.

Do you have any overarching goals you'd like to achieve?

There are many opportunities in the cultural field. Working regionally, abroad, pursuing a career in state institutions, or developing your own projects. I'll see what comes my way. However, what I would like very much is a stronger long-term stability of project flow. When you don’t have to worry about what comes next, you can invest more time and resources into projects. And the results are often better. We'll see. Long-term stability in the cultural sector still seems like a utopia to me.

Are there any Czech artists that the world should know more about?

Yes. Young artists. When I travel abroad and visit local galleries, I almost always think of someone from the Czech Republic as an equivalent. Particularly our young artists. I think they will have a very tough time abroad because for a foreign art historian, the most interesting period in Central Europe is the “normalization era” through the collapse of the Soviet Union to the 1990s. That said. making a name for oneself abroad as a young artist is not impossible. Artists who have achieved international success include Adéla Jánská and Vojtěch Kovařík, who are Filip's peers.

And finally, what would you wish for the Czech art scene in general?

I wish for a greater appreciation. People outside the art world usually can't imagine the amount of work that goes into a piece of art or its exhibition. And the recognition (or the lack thereof) often mirrors that. This lack of awareness leads to lower expectations overall. And that’s something that few In the art world can improve. We are all idealists, and so all too frequently, we settle for what we have.

I hope you enjoyed both discussions. For more on Filip’s work, you can see his instagram (@svehlafilip).

All images with the permission from the artist.