The theme of Přemysl Procházka could be summarized as „painting about painting“. Nevertheless, or maybe precisely because of this, the vast majority of his paintings go beyond the conventional notion of a classic hanging painting. In some cases, this is because of the unusual materials used, both for the foundation and the „colours“. At other times, there are unusual image formats, painting procedures or additional image functions. In short, Procházka takes into account the seemingly banal questions such as „what and how to paint?“ and „what to paint it with and on what?“. Masked in naive styling, Procházka’s paintings may at first glance seem like fun, the kind of fun „painting actors and actresses“ usually have. However, this is a trap where the viewer’s gaze is directed in a way to be lulled into a false sense of superiority, to be then caught by a question, for example, what follows from the fact that the Pipeline painting is painted “oil on oil by oil”. The seemingly formalistic or rather technological problem of painting acquires on second thoughts the potential of an infinitely branching river of meanings. And above all, we were naïve, because as a work of art, Procházka’s painting could not be identified as a product of the oil industry and interpreted, for example, as a current version of the Baroque symbol Vanitas. It is no coincidence that one of the most dangerous opponents of the comic book hero Batman is a criminal nicknamed the Riddler, who is obsessed with riddles and puzzles of all kinds. Although he has no superpower, he is deadly dangerous and always leaves some clue in the form of a riddle at the scene. Přemysl Procházka’s paintings will definitely not kill you, but still, be aware. 

Ondřej Chrobák, 2020

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