Jiří Kovanda

Jiří Kovanda was born in 1953 in Prague, he lives and works in Prague.

Jirí Kovanda is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Czech art and, though he’s reluctant to catalogue his works as conceptual or political, he entered in the international European scene in the late seventies with different public actions, made in a deliberately subtle manner, avoiding any direct involvement by the public. However, despite the imperceptible and ephemeral character of these interventions, Kovanda’s aim was to approach and create reactions in his audience. “Cheap and simple things can sometimes turn out to be important and extraordinary, while expensive objects can be invisible. […] it just depends on the situation,” states the artist.
Kovanda engages in an artistic practice founded on the repetition of everyday actions and gestures as a means of intervention and a stealthy and almost furtive re-signification of public space. That collective space is interrupted by activities as anodyne as preventing two strangers from holding a conversation, walking deliberately (or not) into passers-by in the street, trying to catch the eye of the person behind while descending an escalator, waiting in front of a telephone until it rings without previously arranging a call, or scratching at a heart carved on a wall by unknown individuals. Such encounters and situations, sometimes unexpected and sometimes provoked, lead to exchanges that may be either unforeseen or purposefully led, and when they occur, these almost imperceptible actions modify the space and time in which they are carried out.

Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s

Group show including the work of Július Koller and Jiri Kovanda
The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
November 11, 2023 - March 3, 2024

Collective Exhibition for A Single Body

Group show with works by Július Koller and Jirí Kovanda
The National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest
The National Center for Dance Bucharest, Bucharest
September 14 - October 1, 2023

Sculpture park and contemporary art at Bechyně Castle

Group show with the work of Jirí Kovanda
Bechyně Castle, Bechyně
June 3 - September, 2023

Ridiculously yours!, Art, Awkwardness and Enthusiasm

Group show including the work of Robert Breer and Jirí Kovanda
Deichtorhallen Hamburg: Falckenberg Collection, Hamburg
May 13, 2022 - August 27, 2023

1939-2021: The End of the Black-and-White Era

Group show including the works of Jirí Kovanda
National Gallery, Prague
Throughout 2023

Between Looking and Seeing

Group show with the works of Ryan Gander, Apostolos Georgiou, Július Koller, Jirí Kovanda, Hassan Sharif
gb agency, Paris
March 25 - April 22, 2023

Fais que ton rêve soit plus long que la nuit

Group show including the work of Július Koller and Jirí Kovanda
Musée d’Art Contemporain de la Haute-Vienne - Château de Rochechouart
March 3 - June 11, 2023

Ridiculously yours!, Art, Awkwardness and Enthusiasm

Group show including the work of Robert Breer and Jirí Kovanda
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
October 13, 2022 - February 25, 2023, extended until April 10, 2023

Art Basel 2022

Art Fair
Art Basel, Messe Basel
June 14 - 19, 2022

Two of Us

Activation of a performance by Jirí Kovanda
Frac des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou
May 15, 2022, 5 pm

Before Waiting Becomes Part of Your Life

Collective show with the works of Mark Geffriaud, Apostolos Georgiou, Tirdad Hashemi, Paul Heintz, David Horvitz, Július Koller, Jirí Kovanda, Roman Ondak, Pak Sheung Chuen, and Yann Sérandour
gb agency, Paris
May 14 - July 19, 2022

Ce devant quoi

A collective exhibition by Yann Sérandour
gb agency, Paris
March 26 - May 7, 2022

Vladimír Skrepl: Remixed & Reimagined

Group show with works by Jiří Kovanda
Centre of Contemporary Art DOX, Prague
October 1, 2021 - January 30, 2022

Art Basel, 2021

Art Fair
Messe Basel, Basel
September 21 - 26, 2021

Jiri Kovanda and Zhanna Kadyrova: (Almost) involuntary sculptures and material situations

Duo show with works by Jiri Kovanda
Grössling Bathhouse, Bratislava
Until April 29, 2021

Jiří Kovanda: On Paper/ On Air

Solo show
Czech Centre, Tokyo
Until February 12, 2021

Jiří Kovanda, Ten Minutes Earlier

Solo show
Fait Gallery, Brno
Until April 17, 2021

Pierre Bal-Blanc, Collective Exhibition for a Single Body

Collective Exhibition
gb agency, Paris
Exhibition from Oct 12 to Nov 5, 2019

Jiri Kovanda, Somebody sitting there...

A solo show by Jiri Kovanda
gb agency
From May 11 to July 20, 2019

Paper stories

Group Exhibition
Level One, gb agency
From December 3rd, 2016 to January 14th, 2017

Jiri Kovanda: Fresh Breeze

A solo show by Jiri Kovanda
gb agency
from April 2 to May 14, 2016

Jiří Kovanda Versus the Rest of the World

Solo exhibition
Galerie TZB, Czech Center, Berlin
March 11 - May 8, 2015

New Ways of Doing nothing at Kunsthalle Wien with Robert Breer, Ryan Gander and Jirí Kovanda

Group exhibition
Kunsthalle Wien.
27 June - 12 October 2014.

Art 45 Basel

Art Fair
Art Basel
June 19 - 22, 2014.

Frieze, New York, 2014

Frieze Art Fair
New York
May 9-12 2014

Jiří Kovanda at Rhubaba Gallery and Studios

Group exhibition
Rhubaba Gallery and Studios at Edinburgh
March 28 - until Aril 20, 2014

Ryan Gander, Mark Geffriaud, Jiri kovanda, Yann Sérandour - La Panacée, Montpellier

Group exhibition
La Panacée, Montpellier
February 7 - September 14, 2014

Jiří Kovanda, I havent been here before, 1973 -2013

Retrospective
Dum Umeni, The Brno House of Arts
Feb 7 - April 6, 2014

Július Koller, Jiří Kovanda, Tamás St. Turba. New Museum, New York

Group exhibition
New Museum, New York
January 24 – April 13 2014

Parallel Forms

Group exhibition
gb agency
January 11 - February 22, 2014

Performance by Jiri Kovanda

Performance
Centre d’art contemporain, Noisy-le-Sec
13th November, from 6pm to 8pm 2013

Inventing a Future

Inventing a Future, group exhibition
gb agency
January 26 - March 13, 2013

Jiří Kovanda: In front of the Museum at Four ?

Solo exhibition by Jiří Kovanda
gb agency
From November 8, 2012 to January 12, 2013

A common feeling

Group exhibition
gb agency
from April 21 to May 26 2012

Jirí Kovanda: Wait, please, she will come

A solo show by Jiří Kovanda
gb agency
From January 22th to February 26th, 2011

Both before and after

Group show
gb agency
7 May to 3 July 2010

Nord, Nord-Ouest

Group show
gb agency
From June 25 to July 25, 2009

Jiri Kovanda: Two Cushions

A solo show by Jiri Kovanda
gb agency
From March 15 to May 17, 2008

Jiri Kovanda: Jiri Kovanda Versus Rest Of The World

A solo show by Jiri Kovanda
gb agency
From September 9 to October 14, 2006

Publications (selection)

2010: JIŘÍ KOVANDA - White Blanket - Secession, text and Interview with Jiří Kovanda: Edith Jeřábková, German/English, published by Secession 2010; Monographie: Jiri Kovanda. Editor: Edith Jerabkova, Redactor: Micheala Thelenova, Catalogue Conception: Edith Jerabkova and Jiří Kovanda; Texts by Richard Adam, Nina Beier & Marie Lund, Vjera Borozan, Karel Cisai, Jan Cerny, Jiri David, Guillaume Désanges, Nathalie Boutin & Solène Guillier, gb agency, Paris, Frantiska and tim Gilman-Sevcikovi, Vit Havranek, Edith Jerabkova, Zdena Koleckova & Michal Kolecek, Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Zofia Kulik, Dominik Lang, Lenka Lindaurova, Petr Lysacek, Ivan Mecl, Josephine Michau, Jan Mlcoch, Pavlina Morganova, Boris Ondreicka, Michal Pechoucek, Marek Pokorny, Tomas Pospiszyl, Rafani, Noemi Smolik, Jana Sevcikova a Jiri Sevcik, Jiri Valoch, Catherine Wood; Published by Fakulta umeni a designu Univerzita JanEvangelisty Purkyne v Usti nad Labem spolecne s Galerii Klatovy/Klenova, 288 pages; Livre d’artiste: Jiri Kovanda, Composition with Butterfly, Text by Edith Jerabkova, Jiří Kovanda, Jana and Jiří Sevcik, François Piron; Published by Dominik Art Projects Foundation, Krakow.
2007: Tranzit, catalogue d’exposition, entretien avec Han-Ulrich Obrist, conversation entre Jiri Sevcik et Georg Schölhammer, texte de Vit Havranek, Pawel Polit et Igor Zabel, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Steinernes Haus am Römerberg, Frankfurt, (anglais).
2006: Performances and Installations — 1976-2005, texts by Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Jiri Sevcik, Georg Scholhammer, Vit Havranek, Pawel Polit, Igor Zabel, published by tranzit & jrp ringier, 2006
2004: 1985, Galerie Na bidylku, Brno; East Art Map, New Moment nr. 20, Ljubljana, Slovinsko,p. 43.
2002: Galerie Na bidylku, Brno (with J. Mancuska)
1999: Kresby 1970-1999 (“Drawings 1970-1999”), Galerie Na bidylku, Brno; Pavlína Morganova: Art of Action, pp. 123—126, 203, 227—228, Votobia
1996: Galerie Na bidylku, Brno; Galerie Caesar, Olomouc
1982: Petr Rezek, Body, Thing and Reality in Contemporary Art, p. 156, published by Jazzova sekce, Prague.

Jiří Kovanda
Composition with Butterfly, 2010

Catalogue

Texts by Edith Jerabkova, Jiří Kovanda, Jana and Jiří Sevcik, François Piron
Published by Dominik Art Projects Foundation, Krakow.

Jiří Kovanda
Jiří Kovanda, 2010

Publication

Editor: Edith Jerabkova, Redactor: Micheala Thelenova, Catalogue Conception: Edith Jerabkova and Jiří Kovanda
Texts by Richard Adam, Nina Beier & Marie Lund, Vjera Borozan, Karel Cisai, Jan Cerny, Jiri David, Guillaume Désanges, Nathalie Boutin & Solène Guillier, gb agency, Paris, Frantiska and tim Gilman-Sevcikovi, Vit Havranek, Edith Jerabkova, Zdena Koleckova & Michal Kolecek, Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Zofia Kulik, Dominik Lang, Lenka Lindaurova, Petr Lysacek, Ivan Mecl, Josephine Michau, Jan Mlcoch, Pavlina Morganova, Boris Ondreicka, Michal Pechoucek, Marek Pokorny, Tomas Pospiszyl, Rafani, Noemi Smolik, Jana Sevcikova a Jiri Sevcik, Jiri Valoch, Catherine Wood
Published by Fakulta umeni a designu Univerzita JanEvangelisty Purkyne v Usti nad Labem spolecne s Galerii Klatovy/Klenova
288 pages
22 x 24 cm
ISBN 978-80-7414-278-9 & 978-80-87013-18-2

Jiří Kovanda
White Blanket, 2010

Publication

96 pages, dimension: 23 x 31 cm, about 130 color illustrations
Text and Interview with Jiří Kovanda: Edith Jeřábková
German/English
Published by Secession 2010
Distribution: Revolver Verlag
ISBN 978-3-902592-30-9

Jiří Kovanda
Actions & Installations, 2006

Publication

Texts by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Pawel Polit, Georg Schollhammer, Jiri Sevcik, Igor Zabel, Jiri Kovanda, Vit Havranek (Editor)
Publisher: JRP|Ringier/Tranzit series
ISBN: 390570174X
ISBN13: 9783905701746
DDC: 709

Exhibition view, Jiří Kovanda: Two golden rings, Palacio de cristal, Parque del retiro, Madrid. Commissioned by the Museo Reina Sofía, 2014

“Cheap and simple things can sometimes turn out to be important and extraordinary, while expensive objects can be invisible. […] It just depends on the situation” Jiří Kovanda