Viktor Frešo
Viktor Frešo studied in Bratislava at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design and in Prague at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated and received his diploma in 2003. Frešo belongs to the most remarkable figures of European contemporary in the region of the former Czechoslovakia. His work and overall approach to art is rather atypical as it reflects Eastern Europe's constantly evolving society and culture.
The artist addresses sophisticated concepts and projects, presenting them as seemingly simple pieces of art. Unafraid to challenge norms, his critical perspective sometimes expresses his contempt for the art scene itself albeit with a light, humorous and playful undertone. Characteristic of his creation is the counterpoint he creates between huge, grandiose ego-forward art with gesture-dominant work that is almost disarming with its irony and humility. His ability to reveal both dark and comical sides of his soul endears the viewer by allowing access to the artist's unflattering flaws and life stumbles regardless of consequence.
In sum, Viktor Frešo is interested in direct, efficient, visual tools. He prefers a short interval between action and reaction and enjoys when viewers have speedy, unmediated reactions to his work. He has no compunction presenting his radical and often disparaging opinions of society that might irritate and provoke discussions about what is and is what is not acceptable as contemporary art or what it means to be a whole-heartedly self-centered artist. Whether he intervenes in public spaces or exhibits in galleries, he takes care that his raw, creative actions show themselves in the works' final execution – a grand, critical, honest, artistic, gesture.
WORKS IN COLLECTIONS
Wrocław Contemporary Museum
FMOPA, FLorida Museum of Photographic Art Tampa, USA
Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava, SK
Bulgaria National Gallery, Sofia
Bratislava City Gallery, Bratislava, SK
Czech National Gallery, Prague, CZ
City Gallery Prague, CZ
Colección Arte Al Límite, Santiago de Chile, CL
Collective, Bratislava, SK
Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, SK
East Slovakian Gallery, Košice, SK
Ján Koniarek Gallery, Trnava, SK
City Gallery, Rimavská Sobota, SK
Museum Art.Plus, Donaueschingen, DE
Vojtech Löffler Museum, Košice, SK
Wanrooij collection, Amsterdam, NL
Private collections HU, CR, USA, BR,
MX, DE, IT, CH, CZ, AT, LT, SK, NL,
CU, UY, SX, AU, UA, AR
Solo Exhibitions SELECTED
01.05.2021 - Family Vintage: Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, Bratislava, SK
13.03.2021 - Birth of Self and the Complexity of Ego: K contemporary, Denver, USA
10.05.2019 - Mirorring Me: FMOPA Florida Museum of Photographic Art Tampa, USA
06.09.2018 - That’s What I Call a Concept: DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, CZ
11.06.2015 – Dokoupil - Freso: Kunsthalle Košice, SK
12.01.2014 - Park Me: Cotilla Gallery Fort Lauderdale Miami, USA
17.01.2012 - Connection: Eastern Slovakian Gallery, Košice, SK
08.09.2010 - Something About ART: Galerie U Dobrého pastýře, Brno, CZ
22.10.2009 - Viktor Freso in Chicago: Open concept gallery, Grand Rapids, USA
Joined Exhibitions SELECTED
09.11.2021 - Great Expectations: DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, CZ
13.10.2021 - Unique Stuffle: VUNU Gallery Košice, SK
24.09.2021 - Hybrid-IN: Galeria BWA Wrocław Główny, PL
20.08.2021 - Bohemiae Rosa: National Gallery Kvadrat 500, Sofia, BG
29.07.2021 - Action Everything: City Gallery Bratislava, SK
19.12.2020 - AS OF NOW III: K Contemporary Denver, USA
24.10.2019 - Sculpture by the Sea: Sydney, AU
17.10.2019 - Museum of Now Berlin: Germany, DE
05.10.2019 - Nuit BLanche: Paris, FR
06.09.2019 - City Mejkap: Gallery Klatovy/Klenova, CZ
02.07.2019 - Traveling to the End: MMCA, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, KR
18.04.2019 - Signal the story of post conceptual Art in Slovakia: Ludwig Museum Budapest, HU
12.04.2019 - Bienal de la Habana 2019: Havana, CU
11.12.2018 - PROBE: Slovak Post-conceptual Art. City Gallery Prague, CZ
29.11.2018 - OBJECTive: Kunsthalle Bratislava, SK
01.09.2018 - Monumenta: Leipzig, DE
13.06.2018 - Bakelit: Slovak Contemporary Art, Alkatohaz City Gallery Miskolc, HU
19.01.2018 - Pretty soon if this up im going to have enevelop the entire universe: Gdańsk City Gallery, PL
17.08.2017 - Escape Route: Rooster Gallery, Vilnius, LT
10.07.2017 - Nord ART: The Kunstwerk Carshüte, DE
16.06.2016 - Gods Own Country: Yorkshire Festival, UK
11.06.2016 - Transitory People: Parco D’Arte Quarelli, Roccverano, IT
17.12.2015 - Reversed: MSUV, Museum Of Contemporary Art Of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, RS
23.03.2015 - The Soft Codes: Wrocław Contemporary Art Museum, PL
09.11.2012 - The Journey to St. Petersburg: Egbert Baqué Contemporary Art, Berlin, DE
30.10.2012 - The Real Emotions: Muzeul Naţional de Artă Cluj, RO
24.03.2012 - Zéró évek: Modern és Kortárs Művészeti Központ, Debrecen, HUN
20.09.2011 - Daisies and Clones: The Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava, SK
03.06.2010 - Kas ir čechu maksla: Kulturas centra Ilgumciems, Riga, LT
25.05.2010 - Transgression,Videotage: Asia’s New Media Art Collective Since, Hong Kong, CN
25.02.2010 - Formate der Transformation 89–09: Museum auf Abruf, Vienna, AT
05.02.2009 - Contact: Contemporay Norwieg and Slovak Art, Oslo, NO
17.10.2008 - 1960 --> present time: The City Gallery, Prague, CZ
06.07.2008 - Im Herzen Europas: Badhomburg, DE
03.06.2008 - Internationa Triennale of Contemporary Art: The National Gallery in Prague, CZ
27.05.2007 - Praguebiennale 3: Prague, CZ
03.05.2007 - HDP: The City Gallery, Prague, CZ
20.10.2006 - Transfer: Muzej savremene umenosti Vojvodine, Novi Sad, RS
21.09.2006 - Autobiographies: Secession Haus, Vienna, AT
20.09.2006 - For some seeds the meal is the end of the journey: Tranzit, Bratislava, SK
08.05.2006 - Air Cruiser: Forumstatpark, Graz, AT
26.05.2005 - Praguebiennale 2: Prague, CZ
14.05.2005 - Blaspheme me: Utopiebaustelle Theaterplatz: Wiemar, DE
15.11.2004 - Four Roses: Arsenał Gallery, Białystok, PL
27.03.2004 - European media festival: Osnabrueck, DE
20.03.2004 - New Media Art Festival: Bangkok, TH