Jiří Straka

Contemporary Czech painter Jiří Straka (1967) is known internationally primarily thanks to his ink paintings. He studied Sinology at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts and did a study exchange at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he specialized in traditional Chinese ink painting. This experience, combined with his work as an art restorer for the National Gallery Prague’s Asian Art Collection, shaped his deep relationship with Far East Asian culture. He has been a guest professor at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts since 2014, and ink painting forms the focal point of his artistic practice. He most commonly works in the outdoors, capturing various scenes from nature, but he also draws inspiration from the work of the ancient Chinese masters. Although he traditionally works with rice paper, he has recently been experimenting with porcelain and other materials. He also engages in “live painting” events that combine Western art tradition with the Eastern ink technique. In both his work and personal life, he brings together two different cultural milieus, and he and his Chinese wife alternate between living in Prague and Beijing. Jiří Straka regularly exhibits at Czech and foreign galleries and museums, including the 798 Art District and the Today Art Museum in Beijing and Galerie Rudolfinum and Museum Kampa in Prague. He also participated in Expo 2010 in Shanghai.