”Café Nonsens” – Art Exhibition by Graphic Artist Jiří Slíva

Opening: Mon 26 Mar 2018, 3 pm
Exhibition: 26 – 30 Mar 2018
Vietnam Fine Arts Museum

From the organizer:

The exhibition “Café Nonsens” features humorous drawings and lithographs; many inspired by the theme of cafés, one of Jiří Slíva’s favourite subjects. His work also features famous people, most notably Franz Kafka and Sigmund Freud. Music, particularly jazz, is also the main major theme as he himself is an active musician.

His style is distinctive and unique. The drawings are very detailed and accurate, using simple, expressive lines to tell a complete story with a few gestures. Jiří Slíva‘s work displays the best of the Czech art of cartoons and book illustrations.

Taking place during a cultural festival to celebrate the 135th birthday of Franz Kafka in Hanoi, the “Café Nonsens” exhibition by Czech artist Jiří Slíva will be a highlight on the sidelines that Kafka’s fans and art lovers can not ignore.

About artist Jiří Slíva:

Jiří Slíva was born in 1947 in Pilsen, Czech Republic and has been a resident of Prague since 1966. After finishing studies at the University of Economics of Prague he worked for eight years as a sociologist.

Slíva’s first published drawings appeared in 1972. Since 1979, he has devoted his career full time to cartooning, graphic art, illustration, and painting. He has produced 13 books of cartoons, which have been published in the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, and France. His drawings have appeared in over 150 books, numerous Czech newspapers, and in international journals such as Die Zeit, Stern, New York Times, Nebelspalter, Die Welt, Los Angeles Times, and Le Monde Diplomatique. In addition to his illustrations, Slíva’s work includes colour lithographs, etchings and oil paintings.

Jiří Slíva is a humorist who prefers drawings to words. He has created a distinctive, unique style based on simple but expressive lines. His drawings are very detailed and accurate, each telling a complete story with a few lines. He has repeatedly dealt with three thematic areas. The first of these involves renowned persons from the cultural and scientific world. Slíva’s favorites include Franz Kafka and Sigmund Freud. Another major theme for him is jazz and jazz musicians, many of whom he has admired for years. He is a musician as well, playing in his own jazz band. Lastly, many of his prints are dedicated to the realm of wine, coffee, and café life.

Selected awards at cartoon festivals include:
– First prize – Knokke Heist, Belgium 1981, Bordighera, Italy 1985, Legnica, Poland 1992, Eindhoven Holland 1998, Belgrade 2008, Kremnica Slovakia 2014;
– Second prize – Gabrovo, Bulgaria 1981, Skopje, Yugoslavia 1981, Tolentino, Italy 1981, Bordighera, Italy 1984, Surgut -Russia 2007, Legnica, Poland 2012;
– Special prizes – Ankara, Berlin, Havana, Montreal, and Siena.

Solo exhibitions since 1980:
Prague, Marienbad, Karlsbad, Ostende, Zürich, Lucerne, Budapest, Sofia, Paris, Berlin, Havana, Heidelberg, Warsaw, Mannheim, Rome, Hamburg, Tokyo, Brussels, Regensburg, Tel Aviv, Piešťany, Salzburg, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Moscow, Vienna, Milan, Utrecht, New York, Ottawa, Tokyo, Luxembourg, Nicosia, Cork, Ireland, Cairo, Ljubljana, Washington, St. Petersburg, and Buenos Aires.

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