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STATEMENT AND CV

Lena Zak, born in 1994, is a visual artist working primarily in painting, whose practice also extends into sculptural objects, installation, and their intersection with painting. Her work explores the conflicts, contradictions, and dualities of the world, often shaped by political and social issues.

 

Growing up in a traditional, Catholic society shaped by post-Soviet influences in Slovakia, Zak developed a deep interest in themes of empowerment and personal liberation. As part of the first generation born into democracy after the fall of communism, she was raised in a profoundly polarized social environment, marked by generational trauma and constant tension between Western and Eastern ideologies, as well as between modern and traditional views on life and women’s roles. This later led Zak to express themes of strength and personal liberation through her artwork, while she draws inspiration from the power of darkness, light, and fire—primal and absolute forces—as metaphors for the resilience that lies at the core of existence. Exploring abstraction with a minimalist yet powerful sensibility, Zak's work is rich in symbolism.

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Lena Zak's artwork has been exhibited in solo shows in Berlin and Bratislava, and group shows in European capitals, including London, Berlin, Lisbon, and Athens, 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, Portugal, and a long-term art residency in Berlin, Germany. Although based in Prague, Zak has spent the past decade living between the capital of the Czech Republic and other European metropolises such as Lisbon and Berlin.

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“Through a fusion of unconscious instinct and intuitive creativity, Lena Zak paints her own experience as a woman, and how to reclaim and control her inner power and strength. The act of painting itself then becomes a third space, where the artist can perform and flow freely, from her inner depths to outer manifestations. Creating a captivating dialogue between form and formlessness, presence and absence, the artist’s process is ultimately about setting the soul free. In this fictional space where darkness gives way to light, and where strength is found in vulnerability, the artist can express herself without boundaries, leading her to surpass her shadow self.”

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Louise des Places, curator, LCG lab Berlin

 

“Whispers of Mary Weatherford's spirit echo in Lena's recent works, as she pares abstraction down to its purest essence. But unlike traditional minimalism's starkness, hers embraces a different philosophy. Here, each reduction amplifies her intent, and every subtraction strategically unveils hidden depths.”

 

Anthony Mills, gallerist, Sauvage Gallery France

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Selected exhibitions & showcases

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Residencies​

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