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 getting bored with "standard" 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).
Events:
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.
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:
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".
