Roman Košťál
Roman Košťál on Superstitions, Folklore, and the Power of Painting
In this 42nd episode of the HIDDEN Podcast, we return to Hidden Gallery to meet Roman Košťál, a rising Czech painter whose current work fuses superstition, folklore, and raw emotional narrative. In an open conversation with Filip Kartousek, Roman discusses the making of his solo exhibition BAD LUCK, his approach to painting, and how old European myths still resonate in today’s world.
This episode delves into Roman’s background—his beginnings in applied painting at the Secondary School of Glassmaking in Kamenický Šenov, a two-year period in hot glass techniques, and his eventual move towards painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague under Jiří Petrbok. Roman speaks about his belief in everyday superstitions, the aesthetics of chance versus control, and his fascination with old cinema, black-and-white imagery.
The conversation also touches on broader topics like authenticity in contemporary art, the tension between intellect and emotion, and how modern artists navigate the line between concept and feeling.
Topics Discussed:
Roman’s path from applied painting to contemporary fine art
His early awards (Oscar Ostrava competition) and first exhibitions
The creation of BAD LUCK — a series of 21 paintings exploring themes of superstition, misfortune, and rural folklore
Why he paints dead people in black and white, and living figures in color
His interest in rituals, repetition, and daily psychological habits
Central European folklore, urban myths, and the presence of ghosts
Balancing accident and intention in painting
The role of dreams, nightmares, and the unconscious
Resistance to overly intellectual art, and a preference for immediate emotional response
The influence of silent film, old vinyl records, and decaying textures
Key Quotes from the Episode:
“Even one sip of beer makes me feel like my hand is somewhere else. I lose control.”
“Folklore isn’t gone. People still believe in spirits, in strange rules and rituals.”
“Some artworks speak without words. You shouldn’t need a wall text to feel something.”
“Painting should feel like a scene from a film that no longer exists.”
Guest Information:
Roman Košťál (b. 1998) is a Czech visual artist currently studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in the studio of Jiří Petrbok. Before that, he attended the Secondary School of Glassmaking in Kamenický Šenov, where he focused on applied painting and later on hot glass techniques. His works are often rendered in black and white using charcoal and dry pigment, and his paintings tend to blur the line between drawing and painting.
His practice is rooted in personal memories, everyday rituals, and the symbolic logic of myth and superstition. Characters in his paintings frequently appear as ghostly figures pulled from old films, collective memory, or imagined folklore. With an aesthetic that feels both cinematic and funereal, Košťál’s work resists over-explanation and instead invites viewers to respond instinctively.
His recent solo exhibition BAD LUCK at Hidden Gallery in Prague featured 21 paintings inspired by folk beliefs, misfortune, and archetypes of punishment. He is also the author of the HIDDEN Edition Seven Silents and has participated in exhibitions at AVU Gallery, Avoid Gallery, and NUKE Art.
This conversation is in Czech.
