Jiří Franta

visual arts

Art is one of the freest ways to touch and re-describe the world around us. Art has no client, nor is it approved by anyone. That is why it can be cheeky, sensitive, playful, uncompromising, shocking, activist, incomprehensible or kitschy. It can be anything we label it as. Art has no boundaries. The artist creates them himself.

However, it is not as easy as it seems. The most important moment and at the same time the biggest challenge is to figure out the topic we will work on and why. One of the good tools to figure this out is discussion. It is a time when we can enrich each other and give each other the courage to make art the way we want it to be. Without any buts. From my experience, I know that the hardest thing on this interesting journey is finding your place. The enormous breadth of possibilities is often the biggest obstacle in the end. We can hone the form over time.

Therefore, at our meetings we will try to find a way to find your theme and, if you already have one, to figure out how to best bring it to an ideal vision. It doesn't matter if it's a painting, a drawing, a video, or a poem. Nothing may come of it. Maybe all that will remain is an idea of where to go. The world of art can be as diverse and fun as we choose it with our own courage. Let's search together. I'm really looking forward to it.

Jiří Franta graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vladimír Skrepl's studio. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Rafani group. Although he is known primarily as a draftsman, he does not shy away from any other medium. In the artistic duo with David Böhm, they organize performances, shoot videos, build spatial installations, intervene in public space, create murals and are the authors of book and magazine illustrations. But everything begins with a drawing and often ends in its unexpected realization. The outputs of their activities can resemble a drawing diary, graffiti, caricatures, comics, conceptual art, grotesque, sports performances, the art of cooperation, physical experiments, improvised choreography or theatrical performances. Important to them are processuality, the time-lapse principle, overcoming pitfalls, blending media, experimentation, following and breaking rules, creative dialogue, irony, seriousness, playfulness, eternal incompleteness. He has won many awards - both in the field of free creativity (he was a finalist for the Jindřich Chalupecký Award three times) and illustration (Magnesia Litera, Muriel Awards, Golden Ribbon...)

https://bohmfranta.net/category/work/

https://www.artantiques.cz/jiri-franta-a-david-b-hm

Applications are accepted until 31. 3. 2025.

Information on applications to the Jiří Franta group

Age: 10 +
Planned number of participants: maximum 10 pupils/students and their teachers
This group will deal with artistic creation without restrictions on artistic means of expression. Please attach photo documentation of the pupil/student's work (5 photos) to the application. We look forward to receiving letters from students explaining why they would like to be in this group, or what they expect, and letters of recommendation from teachers explaining why they are recommending this particular student.

Meeting dates:

22. – 24. 8. 2025 – Olomouc
30. 11. 2025 – Prague
21. 2026 – Prague
25. 4. 2026 – Prague
The dates of the one-day meetings are based on the mentors' time availability and may change during the year!