In Depth: An interview with Jan Kaláb

Jan Kaláb is a creative force who has been pushing the boundaries of contemporary art with his dynamic, colour-saturated canvases and 3D installations that explore depth, perception, and the interplay between light and shadow.

Cover image: Petr Hricko

With a career that spans street art, sculpture and painting, Jan has established a distinctive visual language that resonates across different mediums and contexts. In this interview, we delve into his artistic journey, his inspirations, and his relentless pursuit of new forms of expression. Read on as we uncover the vibrant world of Jan Kaláb, an artist who truly believes in the power of abstraction to evoke emotions and provoke thought.

IG: Your creative journey is a fascinating one, and you’re widely recognized as a trailblazer in the Czech graffiti scene. How did things evolve from those early street art days, and is your current artistic practice still influenced by that background?

Jan: Graffiti was something that I really loved. It was my life, but doing it for years, eventually my style and art evolved. I don’t think I’m still influenced by it; I actually even don’t remember when I did my last graffiti piece which is kind of sad. 

IG: Your work ranges from sculpture and spatial installations to abstract painting and large-scale murals, and you seem to experiment with a range of different techniques. How do you navigate between these different mediums and how does each influence the other?

Jan: Each medium has its own positives and negatives. I believe the more techniques one tries, the more can be discovered. Once an artist finds their own style it tends to stick and change doesn’t happen quickly. Certain styles are usually connected with a particular technique. Changing the technique can shift the artistic style and approach, because it takes the artist out of their comfort zone and forces them to rethink their work in order to fit that new technique. For example, it can be challenging for a painter to create a sculpture out of glass, since it’s a new expression of their work from 2D to 3D. Even the act of doing it and thinking in this way will subconsciously affect their painting practice and, for sure, will enrich it.

IG: Many of your works, such as the ‘Suspensions’, ‘Color Fields’ and ‘Sphere Sculptures’ series, explore themes of space, dimensions and perspective. What draws you to these subjects, and what are you hoping to express or provoke through these explorations?

Jan: I started doing abstract letters when I was doing graffiti, because it’s part of the style already. By simplifying them into just geometric shapes, there wasn’t much left to play with. I immediately began to ask myself, “what are the relations between the geometric elements about?” I was thinking much more abstractly and complexly, so the new themes popped up easily, such as movement, infinity, chaos, principles, structures, and so on. 

IG: Your use of vibrant colors and geometric shapes are defining elements of your work. Can you discuss your relationship with color and form, and how you decide on the palette for a particular piece?

Jan: I would say shape is the body – the key element which gives the foundation to the piece. It is what gives you the general idea. Color is the emotion. It describes the feeling or the tone the piece is saying to the viewer.

IG: Are there any themes or techniques you haven’t explored yet and would like to experiment with in the future?

Jan: It would be really cool to have a chance to work on larger scale projects in architecture. This would be really challenging, and I actually studied architecture before I switched to art.

IG: Can you share more about your creative process? How do you move from an initial idea to a finished piece of art?

Jan: The quickest way to describe an idea is to simply draw it with pencil on paper, then transfer it into a digital format to further elaborate later, if necessary. I do color mockups on the computer too and from here, the body is created. Let’s take a stretcher frame for example; after the canvas is stretched and primed with white gesso, the fun part of adding paint is next. After the painting is done, it is covered with a clear varnish, then photographed. Once I see it finished in a photo I figure out the title.

IG: Do you believe your environment can influence your art? Does your home city of Prague play a role in your creations?

Jan: I do believe the environment influences art, for sure, though I think it is a little more than where one lives. It is about what influences your thoughts, which can be from what you see online, what you read, where you travel, your habits, etc. I don’t see any influence of my town, Prague, in my art. But maybe, someone else from another country, who sees my work may find there’s a strong influence from Prague.

IG: There’s been a lot of debate recently around the impact of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, on the work of artists and creatives. What is your take on it?

Jan: AI is a new tool and it can be interesting to use it in the art process. However, I also heard all the serious worries from people, who really know about it and it’s really concerning if one begins to think what AI is capable of.

IG: Have there been any significant mentors, turning points or other influential moments in your career as an artist?

Jan: I didn’t have any specific mentors as far as I can remember. Of course, a lot of people influenced my artistic path. I liked the professors I met at The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague; they were all great artists. I had a lot to learn from them and listened to what they were saying. Also, looking at art from artists from the past is like taking lessons from them, plus, following current big artists teaches you a lot as well. 

IG: Are there any artists you know who deserve more recognition and exposure? Can you tell us a little bit about them?

Jan: I think there are so many great artists in the world who are not recognized. Once you look closely at someone’s work, you start to understand the process and you may be surprised at how good it actually is. Nowadays, success is determined mostly by the amount of fame the artist gets and, unfortunately, it is not always the measure of the greatness of the art itself.

IG: Do you have any advice you can share with emerging creatives who are just taking the first steps in the art world?

Jan: Do it for the love of what you do. Success is not the goal. The goal is your joy and possibly the joy of others.

IG: To wrap things up we’d love to know what’s on the horizon for you. Any ongoing or future projects you can tell us about?

Jan: I’m working on two projects at the moment – my solo show in Brussels at the Macadam gallery in September and we are building an outdoor lighted object for a light festival in Praha in October. 

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To find out more about Jan and his work, you can visit his website or follow his latest updates on Instagram and Facebook.