Michal Korman
2008 - 2011
What is the meaning of things around us, the meaning of modern life,
or better: ‘contemporary existence’? What is this ‘maraviglia’ – the sensation approaching feeling of our time to that of the baroque and its dualism? Which object is worth of being pictured, seen as a work of art,
what thing deserves to be immortalized? In my work, I paint the possibility of meaning rather than meaning of an object in itself: the relativity
of the museum - as an institution housing a collection of objects of hight
aesthetic value becomes a painting: it is because the exhibition space
of these institutions could also be seen as a work of art.
Confrontation of contemporary culture and antiquity or sterility of new
conceptions of the history of art and its role today is the principal turning point of my work. If art is a product to be consumed does it still
bear duty to awaken feelings?
The rivalry with the classic painting and cultural heritage of civilizations is omnipresent in my paintings. I paint a bust of Roman emperor
Caracalla creating the image of an image of a portrait, what interests
me is not a man with terrible and bloody history, but beautifully carved
marble bust. But still: is it an decadent allegory of complete destruction of ugliness? How can we proclaim insignificance of an object to
another we give all values of a work of art? Hence the question arises:
Should this art be interpreted as an attack on stereotypes of aesthetics? Answer is certainly not. Beauty and its representation is a source
of fear of not being perfect.
It is also the poetry and perfection of composition that always concerned me. A painting is a painting - a picture of reality or an image
(an interpreted reality). The double translation of reality amuses me:
a picture of a sculpture or a photo of a restored copy of an ancient
portrait carved in marble - a Freudian IMAGO, for me: the relativity of
authenticity is an joyful fact that justifies the feeling of beauty won in
front of the sculpture of Antinous in the Louvre, a Chinese lion in the
temple in Shanghai or in a holy ecstasy of a saint in a baroque church
in Rome.
This feeling that the observer wants to experience even with knowing
that his approach to art and spirituality is never correct. In centre of
my interest is a question how to handle with rather ridiculous stereotype, the real one, one that can be justified.
Michal KorMan
an island, oil on canvas, 80x61 cm
Painted in Brussles, Belgium (2008)
Exhibitions: Couleurs et matieres, Galerie Art de Voir, Paris (2011)
Publications: none
Boy with two blue fu dog statues, oil on canvas, 73x100 cm
Painted in Brussels, Belgium (2008)
Exhibitions: Neighbours,Friends,Family, Brussels (2009)
BAAF summer edition, Brussles (2011)
Publications: Neighbours, Friends, Family Catalogue (2009)
Persian cats, oil on canvas, 54x70 cm
Painted in Brussles, Belgium (2008)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Pose with hidden breasts , oil on canvas, 60x73 cm
Painted in Brussles, Belgium (2008)
Exhibitions: BAAF summer edition, Brussles (2011)
Publications: Exhibita-BAAF, Brussles - catalogue (2011)
conversation, oil on canvas, 38x56 cm
Painted in Brussles, Belgium (2008)
Exhibitions: Neighbours,Friends,Family, Brussels (2009)
Publications: none
in the bathroom, oil on canvas, 61x46 cm
Painted in Brussles, Belgium (2008)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
First sunday of the month, oil on canvas, 50x60 cm
Painted in Brussles, Belgium (2008)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
the moscow-affair, oil on canvas, 50x50 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2009)
Exhibitions: Accessible art fair Tel Aviv , Israel (2010)
Publications: none
The Blow job, oil on canvas, 50x50 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2010)
Exhibitions:none
Publications: none
DiGJ, oil on canvas, 50x50 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2009/2010)
Exhibitions: Accessible art fair Tel Aviv , Israel (2010)
Publications: none
The Mesmerizer, oil on canvas, 73x100 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2010)
Exhibitions: Parcours d’art contemporain du 19e, Paris (2010)
Publications: none
andrea, oil on canvas, 65x81 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2010)
Exhibitions: Couleurs & matieres, Gallery Art de voir, Paris (2010)
Publications: none
les heures, oil on canvas, 73x100cm
Painted in Paris, France (2010)
Exhibitions: BAAF summer edition, Brussles (2011)
Publications: Exhibita-BAAF, Brussles - catalogue (2011)
Black fire, oil on canvas, 73x92 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2010)
Exhibitions: Couleurs & matieres, Gallery Art de voir, Paris (2010)
Publications: none
ceci n’est pas une pipe, oil on canvas, 81x100 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2010)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Great imago, oil on canvas, 73x100 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2010)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Private collection, Paris
Eastern canon burning virgin, oil on canvas, 81x100 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Varying, oil on canvas, 100x81 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Your heart is empty, oil on canvas, 65x50 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Your heart is black as night , oil on canvas, 91x73 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Pink diamond Buddha lazy painting, oil on canvas, 100x70 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
antinoos (Bakst vs. Gris), oil on canvas, 65x50 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Pastiche caracalla
oil on canvas, 80x100 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Pastiche caracalla
oil on canvas, 80x100 cm
Painted in Paris, France (2011)
Exhibitions: none
Publications: none
Michal Korman (b. 8/12/1987) began his artistic education at the age of five when Jozef Jelenak painter, member of
the Slovak National Academy of Fine Arts (working in the tradition of the first wave of Expressionism) admitted him
to attend courses for older children in the home town of Michal, Partizanske. For three years he formed pupil’s artistic
foundations influencing his student by personal views on the structure of expressionist painting. Young Michal abandoned his course, but continued to develop the passion for painting. After the discovery of oil painting, Michal started
to paint on canvas: first small paintings inspired by the golden age of classical painting: Renaissance, afterward it
has been surrealism which became to centre of his interest.
Michal found the roots of his early education and influences of expressionism during a hitch-hake trip to Italy (summer
2005) with his friend, an artist her as well. Having not reached the age of eighteen years at the time, Michal started
the adventure of the Grand Tour and choose to stop in Tuscany. The real and strong passion for color and innovative
composition were born under the immense sky of Italy.
In 2003, he started to attend art classes again. In 2005, the fruits of his artistic research were displayed in two exhibitions: a group one (local Art Festival Bánovce nad Bebravou in May) and his first solo exhibition during the annual
festival of arts in December. A combination of graphic style and painting that make him approach to pop art and figuration-narrative movements permitted him to master a four years the curriculum in just two years and graduate at
the art school. Since that time, he continued to develop his personal style which led to his first solo exhibition outside
Slovakia in Brussels, Belgium.
In 2009, Michal has been selected by the Committee of Regions (the executive European Commission) as one of
100 young Europeans of exceptional creative talent and was invited as one of four members of the jury of the competition Czech National for young artists in Brussels with personalities such as a director of the Royal Museum of
Brussels and an editor-in-chief of magazine ArteNews.
Michal Korman lives and works in Paris.
Works in private collections: Germany, Belgium, Spain, USA, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Netherlands,
United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland.
EXHIBITIONS
2004 Kračúň
Festival of arts and theatre, Bánovce nad Bebravou, Slovakia
2005 Prebúdzanie
Festival of arts, Bánovce nad Bebravou, Slovakia
2005 Kračúň
Festival of arts and theatre, Bánovce nad Bebravou, Slovakia
2009 Scotti-Korman
Cobalt International Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2009 L’art au coeur de l’Europe
Municipal centre for culture, Illzach, France
2009 Brussels Accessible Art Fair
Hotel Silken, Brussels, Belgium
2009 Paris Show
L’imprimerie 168, Paris, France
2009 Neighbours.Friends.Family
Halles Saint-Géry, Brussels, Belgium
2010 Parcours d’art contemporain du 19e
L’imprimerie 168, Paris, France
2010 Accessible art fair Tel Aviv
Gebo art space, Tel Aviv, Israel
2010 Couleurs et matiéres
Galerie Art de Voir, Paris, France
Michal KorMan
+ 33 6 66 82 12 86
[email protected]
www.michal-korman.com
2011 Brussels Accessible Art Fair
Hotel Conrad, Brussels, Belgium
2011 Pop up
Hotel Chelsea, New York City, USA