“I. Turn on Inside”

by Stanislava Kovalcikova

Opening reception with the artist:
Saturday September 14th, 5-8 pm
Exhibition dates:
September 14th – October 26th, 2019

Ten Haaf Projects is pleased to announce “I. Turn on Inside”, an exhibition by German painter Stanislava Kovalcikova. For her second solo exhibition at Ten Haaf Projects, Kovalcikova introduces nine new works on canvas and wood. The exhibition title refers to the introspective world of figures from her paintings. The Latin number I stands for the first part of a trilogy through which the artist investigates the modern limits of figurative painting, as opposed to contemporary social phenomena, such as “selfie culture” and other obsessions formed around representing oneself.

Stanislava Kovalcikova explores our contemporary view of the nude body as well as the historical motif of the female nude. In her work, she examines issues of race, power, virtual space and figurative form. She considers reflexive engagement with paint as a material, and the influence of 16th-19th Century oil painting. Her work deliberately references Giorgione, Titian, Velasquez, Vallotton and Manet.

Her new collection of work explores the difference between light and dark colours: literally by working with light and dark pigments, but even more by creating a world without any racial identities. By over- and underexposing, colour loses its importance, as does who or what is black or white. A similar pattern applies to the difference between male and female, hence why most of the figures in Stanislava Kovalcikova’s work lack a clear sexual identity. Instead, the protagonists appear conscious of their absurdity. Standing alone, their bodies are merely represented as a form.



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Born in 1988 in Slovakia, Stanislava Kovalcikova graduated from the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 2017 under Peter Doig and Tomma Abts. Her work has been shown in galleries in Europe and in the U.S.A. She has been recently included in the museum exhibition: “Paint, also known as Blood – Women, Affect, and Desire in Contemporary Painting” at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland.