ARTIST STATEMENT

Štěpánková’s art has so far been characterized by a highly distinctive approach to portraiture – colorfully dense and compact. One might say that her paintings are primarily meant to be encounters with loved ones – direct and unflinching gazes of beautiful beings, sensory and innocent all at once. At the same time, her portraits have ever more openly asked what role women play in the world of art. Her most recent work with small-scale drawings and video is merely an extension of this approach – except that instead of creating portraits of people she is looking at how they see the world around them. Their individual features no longer matter; their silent presence in the form of their relaxing cat is enough. In her moving pictures, Štěpánková makes excellent use of film’s typical characteristic – the possibility of using the camera as the viewer’s eye, to pull the observer directly into the action and literally accompany them on their path. Her images, free of editing or action, possess an unsettling sense of tension, even though we are watching the everyday habitual movement of one woman or a group of girls resting at sunset. Our attention is drawn to minor but meaningful gestures.

curated by Michal Pěchouček & Petra Steinerová

BIOGRAPHY

Lenka Stepankova is currently studying in the doctoral program at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in the studio of Intermedia of Michal Pěchouček and Dominik Gajarský. A brief description of the doctoral project is the historical context, moods and problematic topics that defined the representation of women with national ideology in specific environments.

In addition to active artistic activities (video, painting) and interest in literature and film (especially art and experimental nature), Stepankova focuses on the promotion of art. She has been involved in this activity for over three years, which results from her long-term interest in mediating art and culture to the general public.

 Graduated in 2019 with Master of Arts in the Intermedia studio of Jiří David at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. My diploma work Me, myself and I dealt with topics of female identity in relation to her body in the contemporary mainstream media.