Denisa Štefanigová (b. 1995)
She is a Czech visual artist and painter based in Brno.
She graduated in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University
of Technology and then from the Academy of Arts in Estonia. She has completed several internships and residencies in Bilbao, Stuttgart, Graz, Prague,
and Budapest. In addition to the Czech Republic, she also exhibited in Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, Spain and Germany (e.g. Světova 1 gallery in Prague, Brno House of Arts, U Dobrého pastýře Gallery in Brno, EKA Gallery in Tallinn, Hobusepea Gallery in Tallinn, Easttopics Gallery in Budapest, Gedok Gallery
in Stuttgart, MO Museum in Vilnius, Noorus Gallery in Tartu).
She was selected as a finalist for the Cyprián Prize in Trnava in 2024 and as one
of the 15 finalists for the Young Painter Prize for the Baltic countries in 2021.
Her work is included in the Budapest KOGART collection and other private collections in the Czech Republic and Estonia.
In my work, I respond to the ongoing redefinition of concepts once considered self-evident — such as love, partnership, fidelity and intimacy — while actively seeking ways to understand and articulate non-monogamous forms of relationships. To what extent are we individuals whose primary task is to free ourselves from normative social pressures, and to what extent are we relational beings who need each other to create sustainable futures for ourselves and the planet?
My focus is on sexuality and the bonds that create a deep spiritual connection between myself and something abstract. I am interested in the tension between this abstraction and the desire to embody it and make it concrete. What happens during this embodiment? What mutations, symbioses, and beautiful and terrifying hybrids occur on the journey from the abstract
to the concrete? How does this journey between the abstract—the imagined—and the concrete—the experienced—affect my perception of myself?
The twisted figures, energetic brushstrokes, and symbolic elements in my work express the variability and complexity of these emotions.
My work depicts the allegory of resisting social "normativity" through symbols of wild animals. These animals represent a departure from the conventional idea of a "tamed life" and reflect my own search for identity in personal relationships. Monogamy and growing up in a nuclear family provide
an illusory sense of security. In contrast, non-monogamy challenges me
to explore my ambivalent and often painful desires, which are intertwined
with the ideals and expectations I place on myself.
Painting is a key tool in my personal search for self-acceptance and processing of inner conflict, though I don't claim to find definitive truth. Painting is part
of my intense relationships and my search to determine if monogamy is
an inevitable outcome I'm heading toward until I "find the right one" or if it's
a mistaken belief that this is how I want to live. Painting is a mechanism
for my never-ending personal transformation and a way to consciously reshape myself and express themes with which others can identify.
Denisa Štefanigová | Něžnost
Limitovaná edice tisků od Denisy Štefanigové pro 100ks.cz:
Denisa Štefanigová je výjimečnou malířkou nastupující generace. Její dynamická, barevná plátna rozehrávají sítě vztahů lidských i nelidských entit, skutečných i mýtických zvířat, bájných bytostí i démonů. Vše je vzájemně propletené ve jménu velkých emocí, ať už je to láska a touha nebo smutek a truchlení. Vše je součástí všeho, příroda se prolíná s (našimi) těly. Jestliže o jedno z toho pečujeme, nebo to naopak ničíme, nevyhnutelně vzkvétá, nebo upadá i to druhé. Nemůžeme pít znečištěnou vodu a myslet si, že sami zůstaneme průzrační. Nemůžeme ničit půdu, na jejíchž plodech jsme závislí. A přesto to pořád děláme. Zapomínáme, že my jsme ta voda, my jsme ta půda.
Denisa Štefanigová - Artist Talk
Brno Art Week 2023
Malířka a druhá letošní rezidentka Inkubátoru Open Studios Denisa Štefanigová představila divákům průřez své tvorby a shrnula svoji uměleckou cestu. Popsala nejen náměty a barvy, které používá ve svých malbách, ale i své kresby či útržky obrazů.
