Oskár Čepan

EDUCATION: 2001 – 2007 AFAD Bratislava, SK, Sculpture and Space; Studio (of prof. Jozef Jankovič, akad. soch.), SK; 2005 – 2006 term student stay, Facultat de Belles Arts, Barcelona, ES; 2004 – 2005 term student stay, Faculdade de Belles Artes, Porto, PT;

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 2018 – Art Cologne, with Jiří David, represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN; Vertical, Bluerider ART, Taipei/TW; Sky Gravity / with Roman Ondak, ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, Bratislava/SK; 2017 – Psycho – Vertical, curated by Elena Sorokina, Kunsthalle Bratislava/SK; 2016 – Up the Middle of the Wall, Galerie mesta Blanska, Blansko/CZ; Cumulations, Galerie moderneho umeni, Roudnice nad Labem/CZ; 2015 – Štefan Papčo, ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, Bratislava/SK; Cardinality, Regional Gallery in Liberec/CZ; 2014 – Brokeback Mountain, Young International Artists (YIA art fair) – Hors les Murs, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris/FR; Cardinality, Kunsthalle Kosice/SK; 2013 – YIA #3 (Young International Artists), represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, Paris/FR; All good things aim at the same point, ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, Bratislava/SK; 2012 – Rock, Galerie Die Aktualität des Schönen…, Liberec/CZ; 2010 – Moraine, City Gallery of Bratislava/SK; Terra Cognita (with Daniela Krajčová), Nitra Gallery – Bunker/SK;...

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS: 2018 – Biennale Gherdeina, curated by Adam Budak, Ortisei/IT; Vertical, Gkg / Gesellschaft für Kunst und Gestaltung, Bonn/DE; Migration of Energies 2, Gandy gallery, Bratislava/SK; 2017 – Art Taipei, Taiwan, represented by Bluerider ART; SCOPE represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, New York/USA; SCOPE represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, Basel/CH; 2017 Pasce a Evidencie, Nitra Gallery, Nitra/SK; Arc of Memory, curated by Tereza Jindrová, ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, Prague/CZ; 2016 – YIA#7 (Young International Artists) Paris/FR, represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN; Crossroads, London/UK, represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN; XXL Views of Contemporary Slovak Art, Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region, Kutna Hora/CZ; SCOPE Basel/CH, represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN; YIA # 6 (Young International Artists) Brussels/BE, represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN; ARTEFIERA, Bologna/IT, represented by ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN Opening Night: Part II, Chabah Yelmani Gallery, Brussels/BE; 2015 – Reason and Defiance, Vychodoslovenska galeria Kosice/SK; YIA ART FAIR #05, ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN, Paris/FR; THE SECOND DEATH OF GEORGE MALLORY, Karlin Studios, Prague/CZ; Reconstructions, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava/SK; Between Democracies 1989 – 2014, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg/ZA; RESET 2015, Jozef Kollár Gallery, Banská Štiavnica/SK; ROMA VERSO EXPO Artisticamente…, Rome/IT; La Confidentielle du YIA #2 Paris/FR; 90 Pieces of Art, City Gallery of Bratislava/SK; ArteFiera, Bologna/IT; 2014 – YIA Artfair, Paris/FR; Past → Present → Past, Karlin Studios, Prague/CZ; TWO LANDSCAPES An Image of Slovakia: 19th Century × Contemporary, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava/SK; Did you dream about mountains? III, Czech centre, Prague/CZ; 7th New Zlín Salon Regional Gallery of fine Arts, Zlín/CZ;...

AWARDS, ARTIST RESIDENCES & FESTIVALS: 2015 – Novum Foundation Award/SK; 2013 – Tatra Bank Foundation Art Award - Young Artist/SK; Artist in residence, Residency Unlimited, New York/USA; 2011 – Artist in residence, Triangle Arts Association, New York/USA; Best Open Studio, Dumbo Arts festival, New York/USA; DAF Grand Prize 2011, (one year free rent studio in New York)Dumbo Arts festival, New York, USA; 2010 – Finalist of Oskar Čepan Award, YVAA;...

Statement

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Curatorial statement

The work of a graduate of the studio of plastic art led by Jozef Jankovič (2001-2007) attracted attention of the oskár Čepán prize jury’s members for a few reasons. Firstly, they appreciated the unusual and mainly functional concept of connecting experience of mounting climbing and visual art. It is just this boundary physical experience, with meditative dimension, which are the dominant elements of mountain climbing and are in author’s work convincingly and purposely interwoven with artistic expression. And there is not the first-plan referring to the great history of plastic art - i.e. the “stone and pain“ thesis, despite the fact that this parallel naturally works. No less interesting is the slovak context in which his expression may be considered a parallel with the elements of “machismo”, so typical for forming the idealized image of “the slovak feature”. Our interest has also been captured by the connection and outcoming of the personal physical and meditative experience in the resulting, literally sculpture-like quality of author’s object. We have appreciated the monumental impression of the final form which arises by the connecting personal experience with the rules of traditional medium whose vitality is confirmed additionally by the author. Therefore we have chosen him for the final despite the back-position which today’s plastic art has bee occupying.

Alexandra Kusá, Bratislava, June 2010