Jan Soumar

Jan Soumar (*1995, Prague) is a prominent representative of the young generation of Czech painters. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he attended the studios of Michael Rittstein and subsequently Josef Bolf. In 2019, he completed a study residency in Scotland (Robert Gordon University) and in 2020 in Taipei (Taipei National University of the Arts). He is a two-time finalist for the Critic's Prize for Young Painting, having won the Audience Award in the most recent edition. In his work, he explores the possibilities of depicting the figure in an unstable form and dynamic movement. Originally influenced by digital applications and the visual deconstruction of the image, he creates fragmentary records of bodies, which he breaks down into gestural strokes and full-color areas existing in both fictional interiors and natural exteriors. Soumar's works naturally oscillate between figurative and abstract painting, alternating between a relaxed expressive handwriting and realistic details. Through gestural calligraphic lines and the flow of colors, he suggests stylized figures anchored in an ephemeral moment of physical and mental transformation, while hinting at the blending of man with nature.