Matěj Pokorný - Heads

In his work, Matej Pokorny has long been engaged with figurative art, painting, and sculpture, as well as broader themes such as human corporeality, emotionality, and the relationship to identity. His practice often intertwines themes of destruction, chaos, and the uncontrollable. He enjoys navigating the boundary between structure and unexpected outcomes, which is frequently reflected in his approach to materials.

In sculpture, he is particularly fascinated by the combination of different media—blending traditional materials like concrete with more unconventional ones, such as ceramics or bones. This approach allows him to express both the fragility of the human body and the rawness of the materials he works with. Figuration serves as a crucial means of visualizing the human experience, exploring limitations and behavioral patterns that entrap us. Corporeality is also present in his reliefs, where figures merge with their surroundings—often enveloped by vegetation or organic elements that seem to consume them. This interplay between humans and nature reflects his exploration of human fragility.

Painting, on the other hand, provides a medium for expressing emotionality and subconscious impulses. The motif of the head plays a central role in his work, offering a structure into which he embeds emotions and instincts. Automatic drawing is a key part of his process, enabling him to experiment freely and discover new visual pathways. For him, automatism is not an end in itself but a tool to explore his subconscious, unraveling instinctive reactions and thought connections. It is through this process that he investigates what it means to be human in today’s technologically and socially complex world.

Recently, his focus has shifted toward combining abstract forms with figurative elements, delving into themes of cyborgism and transhumanism. He is intrigued by the transformation of the human body and consciousness in the context of technology and the digital age. This is evident in both his sculptures and paintings, where he seeks to merge organic forms with technological elements. Sculptures, in particular, often become the physical manifestation of his thought experiments about human nature and the future of our species.

His creative process balances instinct with reflection. While his work is guided by intuition, he continually revisits recurring themes—corporeality, emotionality, and chaos. By moving between different media, he finds new approaches to these subjects, pushing his own boundaries as a creator.

Ultimately, he views his work as a record of his inner world, communicating with the external world through material and form. Each painting or sculpture is part of a larger whole, reflecting his ongoing search for answers to the questions that define him as both an artist and a human being.