František Skála
František Skála jr (born 1956 in Prague) is a Czech sculptor, painter, children's book illustrator, musician, and dancer.
He studied woodcarving at Secondary Applied Arts School (SUPŠ) Prague, 1971–1975 and in 1982 graduated from the University of Applied Arts (VŠUP Prague) in film and television graphics.
He achieved his first major successes as an illustrator of children’s books, and won a series of awards in this field.
In 1995 he represented the Czech Republic with his illustrations at the Frankfurt International Book-Fair.
His comics serial “The Great Travels of Hair and Chin” was to have been made into a full feature animated film, and he worked on the project for several years although it was not in the end carried through.
Alongside illustration, from the beginning of the 1980s he began to make a name for himself as a sculptor and creator of remarkable objects and installations, and it was in this guise that he made the most lasting impression on the public. He presented his works at both solo exhibitions and at joint exhibitions with his contemporaries from the group TVRDOHLAVÍ [The Stubborn], 1987–1991, which brought a postmodern spirit to the arts scene of the time, and of which Skála was a founder member. He is also a real member of the secret organization B.K.S. (Bude konec světa – The End of the World is Coming),[1] and since 1985 commander of the Order of the Green Ladybird. The scope of his creative activities goes beyond fine art: He is a founding member of the music group Malý taneční orchestr Universal (the Small Dance Band) which performs popular music from the communist era of Czechoslovakia in a humorous fashion.[2] He plays and sings in the group Finský barok [Finnish Baroque]. He is a member of the Sklep theatre company[3] and the vocals trio TROS SKETOS.[4]
In 1990 he gained an honorable mention in Jindřich Chalupecký Award and in the following year the main award itself, founded and presented by Václav Havel.[5] The prize carries with it a three-month residential fellowship at the Headlands Center for the Arts in San Francisco in the USA.
From 1992 he worked on design of the interiors of the performance areas of the Paláce Akropolis in Prague.[6]
In 1993 he was chosen to represent the Czech Republic at the 45th Venice Biennale. He made the journey to Italy on foot and then displayed drawings from his 850-km pilgrimage and fragile objects made of articles he had found on the way in the Czech Pavilion. He has been a guest artist at art universities in Australia and the USA.
In all the spheres of creative activity in which he is involved, his work is distinctive for his exceptional feeling for material, sense of humor and non-speculative, positive approach to creation.
Video of Tros Sketos
- 30 May 2007 performance at Palac Akropolis in Prague
- Tros Sketos television commercial for the 2002 Karlovy Vary Film Festival
External links
- František Skála's homepage(in Czech & English)
- Tvrdohlaví – František Skála – timeline of artist's work (in Czech)]
- Skála at the Rudolfinium – E-Architekt.cz article on Skála including photos of his artwork
- Frantisek Skala – A "Midwife" of Contemporary Art – Czech Radio article on Skála
- The Monstrous Muteness of František Skála – Umelec International website
- Skala at Rudolfinium – Galerie Rudolfinum's biography of Skála
- Contemporary Fine Art – The official website of the Czech Republic's history of contemporary Czech art
- VĚCI MAJÍ DUŠI – interview with Skála (in Czech)
- Porodní assistent – Reflex Magazine interview with Skála (in Czech)
- Videoreport with František Skála on Artycok.TV
- Artist František Skála ARTLIST- database of contemporary Czech art
References
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