Ivana Dostal
Ivana Dostal
Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
About Ivana Dostal
Self-taught professional freelance photographer and painter from Prague with PhD Biomedicine Degree from Charles University. Since the year 2013 CEO of Voitopi Photography. I think that in both, photography and painting, is for me typical dreamy, fairytale view. The main themes connecting my work are dreams, the world of fantasy, memories of childhood, childlike view, man as a part of natural laws, man lost in modern civilization looking for safety, love and proximity. My paintings are typically abstracts moving on the edge of enlistment - typically with "girl sign", world from the view of a growing girl - from childish, through bitter-sweet memories of childhood, to philosophical and finally expressionistic. I started with painting, as I have been feeling that emotions should be plastic I started to experiment with different media to reach plastic, multi-layered structure and finally after many testing I found one type of glue which works. I began to photograph backgrounds for the paintings to get inspiration at first, people started with that´s so good, you should photograph, so I started with photography. I felt I would like to do something new in photography and was not able to reach as dreamy effect as I wanted, so I started to combine more shots together - that´s how my typical multiple exposures began to be created. In paintings - I usually have some idea what I would like to express first. However, the first phase is usually absolutely spontaneous. This phase is quick. That´s the phase I like the most. Secondly, this spontaneous phase is followed by imagination phase, I try to find out some rules in previous spontaneity. This phase can take few minutes or few weeks. Thirdly, imagination phase is followed by one or many thoughtful phases, when I try to reach goal thought. This can take one day or one month. In photography - I sometimes plan the scene, this takes from imaginative sketch, throught planning to realization few weeks. Sometimes the photograph is spontaneous, snapshot, I am observing, I see it, I get it. I love the work of Frank Auerbach and Gerhart Richter. From impressionists, I have always being fascinated by the work of Claude Monet. From Czech artists, my favorite is Petr Nikl. The best piece of advice I was ever given as artist (and as a woman too) was "Do not look at what people say about you and your work, go your way." When I should describe the moto of my work in one few words it would be - "No matter how old we are, we are all dreamers. But must live in the real world. Follow your dreams, dreaming is what makes you alive".
Education:
Charles University Prague, Czech Republic (DSc, PhD, Biomedicine, Neurobiology, Physiology).
Czech freelance (painting, writing) photographer and visual artist based in Prague, founder and CEO of Voitopi Photography (fine-art photography, commercial and documentary projects). In 2017, she photographed the backstage of the Oncogynecology Center of the General University Hospital in Prague (photographical book The Stories Behind Hospital Walls, 2018). Since 2014, she has been taking time-lapse photographical series First Steps from behind of the backdrop of children’s dance and ballet (in 2018 nomination for the first place in the Czech Press Photo competition). In art photography, she devotes herself to multiple exposures and visual art, these photographs create several large fairy-tale poem series reflecting today’s times problems such as anonymity, social media etc. (series Ghosts, We Are All Dreamers, Lost in the City, Memories, etc.), relationships and characters (series Relations, Metamorphosis, Portraits of Characters). In September 2018, were Lost in the City and We Are All Dreamers collections selected for the Other Art Fair at Mana Contemporary in Chicago. Ivana is also devoted to author’s books for children, in 2018, she published her second author’s children’s book, in which the photographic multiple exposures have been for the first time used in the children’s literature genre (What is Princess Elly Sky Dreaming About). Ivana is also author of more than 130 paintings, which are together with the photographs represented in private collections in the Czech Republic, Berlin, Chicago, Atlanta, New York. In 2018 Ivana received honourable mention in Bordeaux Art Limited Abstract Competition. In 2019, her photography from Metamorphosis series (Finally free) was selected for Fine Art Gallery on Lens Culture web. In 2019, Ivana won 2nd place in Czech Press Photo Competition in Portrait Category and in 2020 her work has been selected for Los Angeles Other Art Fair. Her work has been many times selected for Title page and Excellence collection of Art Limited France and in selected collections of Saatchi Art.
Events:
Meet me at Other Art Fair Los Angeles 2020!
My work featured in The Other Art Fair Online Studios - you can follow www.saatchiart.com/studios/theaotherartfair/los-angeles!
2019 - My Portrait of the Soloist of Czech National Ballet Michaela Wenzelova received 2nd Place in Czech Press Photo Award 2019, Category Portrait.
2019 - my photography Metamorphosis (Finally Free) has been selected for Fine Art Gallery on Lens Culture web.
2019 - My photography Colddreamer (Coming Home) has been selected for title page of Art Limited web.
My painting Children´s Play II (Girl with a Rabbit) Received Honourable Mention in Art Limited Awards Abstract 2018.
My photography from behind of children´s dance performances has received nomination for the first place on Czech Press Photo Award 2018.
Meet me at the Other Art Fair Chicago in September 2018!
You are welcome to follow my work including paintings, photography and books on my personal web pages www.ivana.dostal.eu.com
You can follow my photography works on my other web www.voitopi.com
The article about my "GIRLS" on On Art & Aesthetics by Tulika B.
https://onartandaesthetics.com/2017/01/19/pure-and-wondrous-ivana-dostals-girls/.
My works have been many times featured on Artlimited - selected by Editors for Title Page (10-times) and featured in Excellence Collections (24-times).
Greatly thank you for your support of my work!
Exhibitions:
11/2019 PLAY! Solo exhibition, Photography, PROSTOR, Prague
10/2019 Heaven is a Place on Earth...Sometimes, Reduta Jazz Club, Národní, Praha, Solo Exhibition
05/2019 Dreamers and Waiters Exhibition, XII. Prague Photo Fair, nám. Republiky 7, Prague
February-March 2019 - We are all dreamers...But must live in the real world, SOLO Exhibition, Dudes and Barbies Gallery, Prague
November 2018 - Czech Press Photo Exhibition, Old Town Hall, Prague
September 2018 - The Other Art Fair Chicago, Mana Contemporary, Chicago
April 2018 - We are all dreamers, Photography Exhibition, XI. Prague Photo, Clam-Gallas Palace, Prague
November 2017 - V CO VĚŘÍ NELLY BUTTERFLY/ WHAT NELLY BUTTERFLY BELIEVES IN, Palace of Books Neoluxor, Wenceslas Square 1, Prague (accompanying exhibition for the book).
April 2017 - GHOSTS (Ghosts I Dreams We Had Believed In Before We Failed and Ghosts II Living in Fairytales), Photography Exhibition, X. Prague Photo, Kafka´s House, Prague.
May 2016 - El Duende Exhibition by Camaver Kunsthaus, Villa Monastero, Varenna, Italy - Group Exhibition, International Exhibition in Project "Ancient Palaces".