Karel Kuklík: Photographic Dialogue with Landscape

Karel Kuklík (born 1937 in Prague) took up photography in earnest around 1955. His photographic images bear witness to the artist’s absorption of influences by Art Informel, Abstract art and Surrealism, transformed into an existential mode. The 1960s saw him working closely with the Czech art scene of the time, photographing portraits and studios of painters and sculptors. He took what was to become a lifelong interest in the subjects of Prague streets, rural landscapes in the Šumava Mountains and the Třeboň region of South Bohemia, as well as the world of house porches and backyards and everyday objects. In 2000, together with Jan Reich, Jaroslav Beneš and Bohumír Prokůpek, he was a co-founder of the group Czech Clog (2000–2008). Somewhat later the group was joined by Tomáš Rasl and Petr Helbich. This exhibition, offering a cross-section of Kuklík’s photographic output, is an homage to the artist marking his eightieth birthday.