Alternate decription

Johana Merta

mertajohana@seznam.cz

01.09.1987

Brno, Czechoslovakia

Skuteč, Czechia

+420 777 055 325

Artist's statement

I am entering the Czech—and, by extension, the European—art world with an abundance of highly sensitive, multi-layered social criticism. In my work, social criticism is a cornerstone, along with a desire for change. The main areas I focus on are power structures, racism and xenophobia, consumer society, and the education system. I work with both historical and contemporary facts. Through my ability to combine and balance personal experiences with broader ones, I create a comprehensive narrative about our values. My artistic work to date is characterized by courage and naivety in a wide variety of forms and combinations. I persistently explores the possibilities of sharing through artistic expression. Guided tours, just like the time spent in mine installations in a role as a gallery assistant, are an inseparable part of my creative language. Although is my work aesthetically compelling, my primary motivation for creating is to spark discussion within a broader social context. I work in a variety of crafts. I chooseform purposefully with regard to content. I commonly works with text, drawing on strong conceptualism and Czech roots. I systematically engage in experimentation and the combination of artistic media. Porcelain, as well as materials left over for various reasons, become social events under my guidance. Whether it is biological waste—sheep’s fleece from a neighbor, letters from the old Tesco store slated for demolition, forgotten plaster casts from a closed dental office, scraps from seamstresses, or leftover materials from contemporary and totalitarian printing houses and advertising firms—the material and its “backstage story” are among mine central themes. My broadest thematic areas are the power of faith, the fragility of existence, and the value systems that arise from them. I works in many forms, yet always with social engagement.

Bio

JOHANA MERTA / *1987 born in Czechoslovakia, Brno I am East European woman artist. I studied exhibition, performance, intermedia, drawing and printmaking in Brno. After graduating I moved to the countryside with my family. Now i live in Skuteč in the Pardubice Region and I am mum of three. I work in various forms and systematically use experiment for searching a new ways. Member Hugo & Zoe / band / singer / formation 2007 Grau kllktv / non-profit organization for cultural development / founded 2011 Ateliér Banja Luka / society of artists / foundation 2010

CV

Education

  • 2003 - 2008 High school of art and design / SŠUŘ Brno / department of expozitions
  • 2008 Faculty of Fine Arts BUT / Performance
  • 2009 - 2012 Faculty of Fine Arts BUT / Intermedia
  • 2012 - 2017 Faculty of Fine Arts BUT / Drawing and Printmaking

Awards/Residency

  • 2021 / OFFSPACE AiR / Pardubice / CZ
  • 2022 / Muzeum of mining / Banská Štiavnica / SK

Exhibition / Project List

  • 2026 / Ó Europe, I cry for You / project for public space / Skuteč / EU
  • 2026 / Pevnost ničeho / project for public space / Brno / CZ
  • 2025 / Sklízíme kameny, občas bláto / gallery SAM83 / Česká Bříza / CZ
  • 2025 / TENDER SHIELDS / Galerie města Blanska / CZ
  • 2025 / OVER ALL POSSIBILITIES 2 / Dům Umění města Brna / CZ
  • 2024 / OVER ALL POSSIBILITIES / DZYGA gallery / LVIV / UA