Martin Kolář - Papilonia

Martin Kolář is one of the most talented current students of AVU. From his very first year, he attracted attention with his highly precise painting technique, combined with an original style that synthesizes the thesis of children amidst mainstream entertainment with the antithesis of social pathology and the cult of institutionalized violence. The juxtaposition of childlike aggression with references to medieval and modern warfare creates an unexpected thematic counterpoint. Freudian principles of destructive Thanatos and promiscuous Eros, where the atomic bomb doubles as a phallic symbol, oscillate like the wave of alternating electric current.

Kitsch and decadence, vivid colors and pain, ornamentation and symbolism—Kolář, following in the footsteps of Jacques Derrida, deconstructs reality and focuses on death and mourning ("le deuil") with a morose yet profoundly truthful motto: "Death is not outside life, beyond its boundaries, but inscribes itself from within." Despite the infusion of philosophical nihilism, the paintings paradoxically exude a playful and whimsical aura, further elevating their bizarreness.