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STATEMENT AND CV

Lena Zak, born in 1994, is a visual artist working in painting and sculptural objects, whose practice extends also to installation. Her work addresses themes of conflict, duality, resilience, and empowerment. Zak’s art explores how political, societal, and patriarchal tensions shape an individual’s experience, their sense of identity and self. Engaging with abstraction through a minimalist yet symbolic lens, she uses restrained palette, dominated by black and tangible light sources to embody existential contrasts.

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Growing up in a traditional Catholic society influenced by post-Soviet dynamics in Central Europe, Zak was part of the first generation born into democracy after the fall of a totalitarian regime. She was raised during a moment of flux, in a profoundly polarized social environment, heavily affected by generational trauma and ongoing tensions between Western and Eastern ideologies, as well as between modern and traditional perspectives on life and women’s roles. These experiences informed her interest in duality, resilience, and empowerment – central motifs in her artistic inquiry.

 

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Zak draws inspiration from the absolute force and power of darkness and fire, using them as metaphors for the resilience that lies at the core of existence. Black, a central element in her restrained palette that absorbs and negates light, is counterbalanced by negative space and by use of tangible light sources embedded in her works. This interplay between presence and absence of light creates strong contrasts that embody the dual nature and ambiguity of existence.

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Her painting process is rooted in bodily movement and rhythm, resulting in gestural and performative works. Influenced by principles of acoustic drawing, which results in works with calligraphy-like qualities, Zak approaches painting as a choreography to either sound or silence, translating physical motion shaped by sound into visual expression. The outcomes merge the visceral and the meditative, exploring the raw expression and spontaneity.

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Lena Zak's artwork has been exhibited across European capitals, including Berlin, London, Lisbon, Athens, Bratislava as well as in New York, United States. Her paintings are part of private collections mainly in the United States, Prague, Bratislava and Paris. She has completed an art residency programs in Lisbon and a long-term art residency in Berlin. Zak currently lives and works between Czech Republic and Berlin, Germany.

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Selected exhibitions & showcases

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Residencies​

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