Martin Kacmarek Slovakian, b. 1996
Mixing airbrush acrylic and oil sections, Martin Kacmarek has found a way to portray people that rarely consider their visual appearance, conveying more of their it-is-what-it-is attitude rather than their actual complexion or features. Placed far from the shiny lights of modern day urban life, these characters are accompanied by either their pets or their trusty tools and weapons and going about their daily routines. Whether caught mid-work or while having a break, they feel done and tired but are still standing strong and proud, evoking the "It ain't much, but it's honest work" vibe. In that light, even a romantic date becomes a setback of sorts, conditioning the awkwardness and unfitness seeping into the posture and the garb picked for the occasion. And speaking of light, the scenery is almost exclusively murky outdoors, with the sun being out of the picture, covered with thick clouds or barren trees. In the end, the only moment the sun is on the horizon, it's blasting it's cosmic heat on the naked skin of these rural dons.
Text by Sasha Bogojev
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2022
Stalksfortheirimportance, Tuesday to Friday, València, Spain
2020
VerdantMeadows, Up Salónik, Bardejov, Slovakia
2019
RunningTroughTheVillage, Hory Doly, Liptovský Mikuláš
2018
Pohlady 01, Kaštiel Smižany, Smižany, Slovakia
Group Exhibitions
2022
UNIVERSES 5, The Hole NYC, New York
NBB III, NBB GALLERY, Berlin, Germany
Wolves in Sheep'sClothing, Tuesday to Friday, València, Spain
2021
Hyper - Contemporary, HasbrookGalleries, Milkwaukee, USA
NBB Paperworksvol. II, NBB Galery, Berlin, Germany
WhereSoilMeets Body, DOT. Contemporary Art Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia
Anthropos, SchemnitzGallery Banská, Štiavnica, Slovakia
2020
Etcetera 11,Galerie U BetlémskéKaple, Praha, CezchRepublicTehláren Festival, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
Neskákat pod VLAK!, Železnicná Stanica Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia
Showhouse Art Call Nr.2, JayJay Showhouse, Amberes, Belgium
2019
Fenomén Tvorby - Šlamastika, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
Pod Zemou, Ateliér Startup, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
NeigbourhoodBoogieWoogie Festival, Prague, CezchRepublicTehláren Festival, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
2018
Tehláren Festival, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia