By: Jessie Chrobocinski Photo by: Samantha Lunstedt
K Space Contemporary presents an exhibition of collaborative works by Slovakia native and painter Katarina Janečková Walshe and local photographer Malone. Woods Unknown is divided into two parts – Corpus Christi and Slovakia, representing their recent return from Janečková’s home.
Janečková, a European living in Corpus Christi, and Malone, a native Texan, met fishing. The two artists formed a creative alliance based on their tendencies to find something poetic and beautiful in emptiness. Malone captures an observation without interfering. Janečková’s vivid and juicy painting complements his silent shots with her spontaneity, but does not overpower them. In Woods Unknown, Malone and Janečková merge their differing perspectives, styles, and media to create works of art that express the atmosphere of Corpus Christi and Slovakia.
“In our friendship, common exhibition always seemed to be the peak of the mountain we were trying to reach. While observing each other’s ways of practice and continuing to have conversations about how to pursue what we dream of,” said Janečková. “As we traveled and opened our first collaborative show in Bratislava, Slovakia, our roles switched. This time it was me who was ‘at home.’ While Malone found himself in an unknown environment, guided by new habits, sceneries, and cultural differences, all fast-paced while trying to fully understand. Looking at Malone’s work from our trip, painting into it, knowing where the pictures where taken and focusing on my own thoughts about my life in Slovakia feels like a very important part of the process to establish what HOME really means to me-US.”
Using playful colors and characters, Janečková directs a fantastical world based on her honest interpretations of the life she has experienced. Walshe is inspired by masculine and feminine roles, the wide availability of sexual content, and challenging the male gaze through sexual liberation.
From people living their daily lives in a port city where waves come and go to abstract land-and-city-scape compositions. Malone has spent the last two years examining and documenting the seemingly mundane qualities of life around him in the city of Corpus Christi. Mixing color, symmetry, light, and weather, Malone expresses the value in the most overlooked moments and captures them forever in photographs. Proving that one slight change of angle or time on any given day can describe one moment in 100 different ways.
“This new body of work is starting to come to life from this experience, leaving us feeling that inspiration is endless and has no borders. These are the WOODS UNKNOWN, meant to be explored,” concluded Janečková.
The opening reception will be held on Friday, August 6, during ArtWalk from 5:30-9 pm. The exhibition will be on display through September 17. For more information, visit www.kspacecontemporary.org.
