curator: Michal Stolárik

Jan Kaláb’s first solo exhibition in Slovakia, Amoeba Ignita, presents an experience that is both intense and meditative, framed by a palette of muted tones. This imaginative realm evokes imagery akin to microscopic visions, sonar-rendered underwater scenes, and telescopic glimpses of distant galaxies. Organic forms draw on the language of biology and nature, inviting viewers to perceive time and space as fluid, ever-evolving dimensions.

Althogh Czech visual artist Jan Kaláb’s work is in constant evolution, his signature style is instantly recognizable. Distinct colour spectra paired with geometric-based forms create compositions that feel both organically soft and digitally precise. Much unfolds between surface and space, illusion and reality — everything appears at once static and dynamic. Kaláb masterfully navigates the space between painting and painterly installation, with works that often transcend the boundaries of the canvas — and at times, even the walls — to become autonomous painterly objects. Through liberated forms, formal reduction, subtle colour gradations, and sharp contrasts, Kaláb’s work draws the viewer into a game of optical illusion and organic transformation.

Jan Kaláb (b. 1978, Prague) graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (Eva Jiřičná’s Studio of Architecture and later Jiří Beránek’s Studio of Sculpture) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (Jitka Svobodová’s Studio of Drawing). His practice is rooted in street art and graffiti, mediums he has explored for over three decades. In 2006, he was one of the co-founders of the Trafačka association, now known as Trafo Gallery in Prague. His works have been presented at numerous solo and group exhibitions across Europe, America and Asia and can be found in domestic and international private and state collections, such as the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids (USA), the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the DEJI Art Museum (China) and the Osan Museum of Art (South Korea), as well as in the private collections of Dior and Tiffany.