Brno. Czech Republic
My name is Robin Blažek. I was born in a very little town called Vsetin in Czech Republic, but I have been living in Brno for 7 years now. I am 26 years old and I am a freelance artist.
Since I was a little child, I have had a strong relationship with the process of creating. I was known as the ‚kid with too much fantasy‘. That never went away as it will always be in my nature. I have carried that throughout everything, until I realized that is something I have always aspired my life to be devoted to. I wish it to be my legacy.
Before I took the art road, I got a masters degree in psychological counselling studies, as I have always been interested in the human spectrum of emotions and the causality of human reactions to the inner and outside world. Which also led me to my psychoanalytical interests and it’s unconscious connection to art. In addition to that I used to be a prefessional swimmer until I was 24. I am fully aware how strange it all seems. On the other hand, my sportmanship years have highly influenced my artwork, as it is after all just a piece of a puzzle that shaped my way of percieving and my point of view. I see my way of life as a continuous process of collecting impacts that project into the creative part of the brain.
My career as an artist started in portraits when I was 20 as an essential part of psychohygiene, or a copying mechanism if you will. No people in particular, just random portraits that I painted from my mind. By this I wanted to evoke deep, structurally engrained emotions. This led to the collection of portraits I called ‚Midnight Sobs‘. From that I moved to a completely different realm that is abstract art. I was used to following strict, sharp lines, because I loved the systematic approach. But in the light of the coronavirus situation, my ways of creating completely changed and art became more so a priority. Therefore, to my surprise, I found a beautiful, personal and profound way of exploring artistic perspective with the concept that is reminded of clouds, fogs and steams, Although, I don’t necessarily mean my art to be categorized or narrowed by these names, as I want it to be whatever the audience sees in it. What will always be a part of my relationship with art is that it is deeply personal and emotional.
The effect of contingency aroused me so much I continued on this journey. With this painting style, and after many pieces before, ‚Swimming Pools’ came to life, the painting which is included in the Coming Out exhibition. It’s a retrospective outlook to the expirience as a queer shy boy in sports being constantly conflicted with stereotypes of structural masculinity. Deeper than that, it is a love letter to every straight man who accepted and praised boys like me. Boys who desperately were trying to escape the chains of normality while trying nothing but to matter. The rest depends on the spectators mind.
I see art as some kind of a force of nature. Any kind of art means a phenomenon, which should awake a reaction. Every piece carries a message, a purpose, a memory. I see so much power and possibilities. To me, at the end of the day, there is no other option, but to make art. For balancing the speed of the reality.