The Embassy of the Czech Republic invites you to a closing Gallery Talk with Czech artist Josef Achrer of his US debut exhibition The Quest for Tranquil Space: Paintings and Photograms at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center on August 7, 2022, at 3 pm (RSVP required).

The exhibition is featured as part of the Czech Republic's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Achrer’s exhibition is comprised of large photograms and vivid colored acrylic paintings. The motifs of the paintings are mostly landscapes, in combination with abstract geometry, describing the stories of people seeking peace, quiet and tranquility amidst information overload. His photograms are untraditional for their scale. He uses the largest photo paper available in the world to create his vision, transforming 2D into an illusionary 3D world.

Concerning the context of his work, Achrer said, “With the ever-growing amount of information, we are losing ourselves. We stop knowing who we are...we are what we present ourselves to be through digital media. Art teaches us to reconsider our relationship with the enormous amount of data that we consume.”

The works assembled form a unique collection as most of them have not been viewed outside of Prague or at all. The exhibition contains several works made specifically with the unique gallery space of American University Museum in mind. One of Archrer's artistic works is even over three stories high. Delve into these extraordinary works with the artist at the AU Museum at the Katzen Arts Center before the exhibition comes to a close.

The exhibit is sponsored in part by the Embassy of the Czech Republic and Galerie Zdeněk Sklenář in Prague.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Contemporary artist Josef Achrer studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (AVU) from 2004-2010, the San Francisco Art Institute (2008), the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Painting Studio (2007), Technical College of Applied Arts, Painting Studio in Prague (2002-2004) and the Technical School of Applied Arts, Studio of Stage Set Scenery (1998-2002). He has held residencies at AIR – Artist in Residence/ Krems, Austria, and Studio Galerie Zdeněk Sklenář, CCC / Beijing. Furthermore, he has held solo and group exhibitions in the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark, Germany, and China. In 2014, he received the Jan Světlík Award and the Art Critics Award for Young Painting in 2012. His work is in a number of collections, including at the Times Art Museum in Beijing, China; Faupel Collection in Berlin, Germany; Henri and Claude de Saint Pierre Collection in Paris, France; Galleries Zdeněk Sklenář, 8Smička, and GASK in the Czech Republic; among others. This exhibition marks his U.S. debut. For more information about the artist, please visit https://achrer.net/.

EVENT DETAILS:

Date/Time: August 7, 2022, at 3 pm

Location: American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20016

RSVP required to https://tranquilspace.eventbrite.com

Parking is available in the Katzen Arts Center garage. Parking is free on weekends and $2 per hour on weekdays. The museum is accessible by bus from the Tenleytown-AU Metro Station.

Please refer to the museum’s website for the most up-to-date information on visiting the museum and their COVID policy.