Tomáš Jetela: Architect of Bizarre Existence
The signature style of painter Tomáš Jetela, in which analytical thinking meets raw intuition and experimentation, from classic canvas to collages made of magazine pages, fascinates with its dynamics and depth. For the ELKA LOUNGE column, we talked about where rational construction ends and pure character begins, why clothing is a mask for him, and why painting prefers to complicate the world rather than explain it.
An interview on the magic of the moment and freedom
Was your path to painting a conscious decision, or rather a gradual revealing of something that had always been present within you?
It was a gradual realization of something that appeared important and, over time, became a fascination. Thus, it eventually transformed into a firm decision and an unwavering conviction about my own identity.
What does success mean to you today? Is it a state, recognition, freedom – or something that is constantly changing?
Success is an illusion. Picasso experienced greater success than I have, but is he a better or more significant painter? I mentioned him to highlight the absurdity of the concept. It is generally believed that success must be confirmed by a "higher authority"—galleries, curators, critics, collectors, etc. But do they have a patent on glorifying their subjective view? Who knows what is "good," who sees things "correctly," who has the power to reveal "genius"? You might think I’m writing about success in general, so you’ll ask what it means to me. As I mentioned, this word is losing its meaning for me; it is empty. Maybe I don’t know because I haven’t experienced it. Anyway, you mention a "state"... I don’t quite understand that, but in a sense, success is a state of mind where failure does not exist. Then "recognition"... I don’t care about that. And finally "freedom"... yes, freedom is the most important and paradoxically unattainable; it will never be absolute. When what you call "success" brings a lot of money, it’s wonderful—it allows you to get closer to freedom. The more money, the more freedom, but it will always have boundaries. I can simplify it: success = money = freedom.
Your signature is distinct and legible. Is it a conscious construction, or a natural imprint of your nature that inevitably manifests in your work?
I don't know. Analytical thinking creates a path on which you often make intuitive decisions. So it’s probably both—a rational construction and an imprint of character.
What is your relationship with clothing? Is it a protective layer, a form of silence, or another language through which you communicate with the world?
Clothing as a protective layer or a form of silence? Interesting. Or a language to communicate with the world? In this context, it’s hard to answer. Clothing cannot be silent, but it also says nothing. It occurs to me that it is a "mask." Either I want to hide from the world or deceive it, to show that "I" does not exist, or rather, that there are infinitely many of them.
What role do colors, materials, and structures play in your work? Are they a means of harmony for you, or rather a way to create tension and ask questions?
If harmony or tension or a question appears, it’s certainly great. But when I want to feel harmony, I go to the forest; when I want to experience tension, I watch a movie; and I encounter questions in philosophy. A painting is about something else, hard to express in words. It’s magic. Working with matter and colors is alchemy. The magic of transforming thought into reality.
Where are your creative ideas and thoughts born – in peace and concentration, or in movement and conflict with the surrounding world?
Ideas come unexpectedly and in various states of mind, in peace as well as in conflict with reality. Often in a state of concentration while working on a painting in progress, in a kind of "trance." One could even say "in an altered state of mind" caused by absolute immersion in the current activity, where new ideas are born in the "background" of consciousness.
Does painting have the character of a dialogue for you – with yourself, with the viewer, or with the era we live in?
Painting can be a form of dialogue on a certain level—an inevitable interaction with oneself, the viewer, and the times. It evokes countless relationships with the world. But the question we must ask is: does the author consciously want to lead this dialogue? Does he care about communicating something? We can choose more suitable media for communication. Painting is enchanted, encoded, confusing, incomprehensible... full of depth and meaning, but also empty and without significance. The content can even be the absence of content. Painting is there for everyone and for no one.
What do you try to preserve, slow down, or understand through your work – and is there something that words cannot express, but a painting can?
It's about a cyclically opening space, a liquid horizon, the ungraspability of metastasis, the shifting or crossing of boundaries... Nothing can be traced, only hints and more question marks... forever. Words appear as a system to simplify the world for ourselves and try to explain it. Painting complicates it and vainly tries to grasp it.
And finally – if your paintings could summarize themselves in three words, what would they be?
"Non-standard bizarre existence."
Men's Flannel Shirt with Collar – Black
Beyond Words
In conclusion, Tomáš Jetel's work is a constant balancing act between the magic of transformation and an admitted emptiness. For him, painting is not a tool for explaining the world, but a means to grasp it in all its complexity and perhaps complicate it a little. His works thus remain a fascinating code—deep, confusing, and liberating at the same time.
