Radim Langer: Arcanum

Radim Langer is like a fluid constantly on the move. He approaches the reality of painting extensively, creating his own planetary system and like Earth he orbits the Sun. The freedom of his work is anchored in this fundamental necessity. Rejecting illusionism, with its inherently humorous paradox of representation (the substance is lost in the attempt to portray reality) allows him not to divide matter, but abstract it into color relations. Langer is strong in his work with text and language, and this is evident in his paintings. His works tell stories, they carry deeper contexts. Although they may appear intuitive, created from an initial impulse or emotion, the preparation is always precise, and the process of their emergence is often long and complex. This fact creates a counterpoint in his paintings. Color is the autonomous building material of his work. He is interested in the relationships between individual tones, he uses fluoresent and luminous colors and enjoys contrasts. Colors in his paintings pour like molten glass. He often works on his paintings for a long time, returning to them. Colors gradually layer and overlap and their relations are changing. Color is not ephemeral in the sense of creating an impression but is stabilized in the matter, indirectly refers to the paradox of Thales’ fall. The philosopher lost in contemplation of the enormousness heavens fell into the deepest darkness of a water well (or, according to other interpretations, into a pit). The sky is not a transcendental realm reserved for retired sinners; it is lived here on earth. And from this anecdote, it is only a small step to the claim of the Holy Cross.

Radim Langer (1985) studied at the Secondary School of Art and Design (School of Arts and Crafts) in Brno and continued his studies at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (Fine Arts I.). He currently focuses primarily on painting and teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. He has worked as a curator in Prague galleries including etc. gallery and Gallery 207, and has published theoretical and critical texts on art, culture, and society. He is deeply engaged with language, he is a polyglot, writes and records poetry, he is an old-world type of renaissance artist who does not seek a simplistic shortcut in his journey from the cosmos to the craft.

Curators: Anna Strasserová, Viola Borková