Cermak Eisenkraft _

20/04/2026

Vadim Grigoryan is a creative director and luxury and culture brand strategist who has worked with leading global brands at the intersection of art, marketing and business. He explores how art can shape brands, cultures and experiences, and is the author of Art Thinking: Art, Meaning and Brand Leadership. Recently, he gave a public lecture on art, meaning and brand leadership at Cermak Eisenkraft Gallery in Prague.

Thank you so much for amazing lecture 📓 It was pleasure to listen you.

“Beauty, engagement and meaning are key components of great art, just as they are characteristic of great marketing campaigns and assets.” – Vadim Grigoryan

14/04/2026

In this reflection on MYTHS (2025), the dialogue expands through the works of Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Šimon Brejcha, and Paul Wessenberg. 🎨
Each artist approaches the mythical from a different angle — Kaufmann through psychological narrative and symbolism, Brejcha through delicate natural imprints, and Wessenberg through layered abstraction.
Together, their works speak about transformation, memory, and the unseen threads connecting human experience with mythic imagination. ✨
*
*
*
*
*
PaulWessenberg modernmyths artreflection artdialogue artreels

14/04/2026

The Loss of Critical Thinking and the Role of Artificial Intelligence

As the pace of society accelerates and artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, people are more likely to accept ready-made stories and “truths” without verifying them. This leads to a resignation of critical thinking and a dominance �of “prefabricated” myths that are often accepted without reflection.

The Regenerative Potential of Myth

Myth has the power to regenerate and renew society; it offers hope and meaning, especially in times when people are losing their certainties and fleeing from history. Fictional stories, for example, can spark enthusiasm and provide a refuge from uncertainty.

Let us not simply drift along with ready-made stories.
Let us not resign ourselves to passivity or abandon critical thinking and our own agency.

MikeWolf artreflection myth philosophy artreels
gallery cermakeisenkraft art Prague artlover artcollector masters fineart artwork artofvisuals artoftheday artgallery arte life smartconcept art_dailydose instaarte instaarts instaartistic

14/04/2026

Looking back at the 2025 exhibition MYTHS, a project that explored how ancient narratives find new resonance in contemporary art. 🎨
Through the works of Karel Štědrý, Vladimír Véla, and Maik Wolf, the exhibition traced the transformation of myth into abstract form, expressive gesture, and material experiment.
Each artist offered a distinct reflection on how the symbolic and the personal intertwine — revealing that myths are not relics of the past, but living stories shaped by our present moment. ✨

MikeWolf artreflection modernmyths artreels
gallery cermakeisenkraft art Prague artlover artcollector masters fineart sold artwork artofvisuals artoftheday artgallery arte life smartconcept art_dailydose instaarte instaarts instaartistic

11/12/2025

18/06/2025

Myth is Not Dead!
Myth is not merely a historical relic but a living, ever-changing element of our culture that adapts to the times and assumes new forms. It acts as a kind of “law” that is constantly enacted and remains valid, and at the same time as a generator of stories that people need to orient themselves in the world. Myths contain values that society embraces and passes on.

Escaping Reality and the New Forms of Myth
Today, as people are inundated with information, they are losing the ability to distinguish between reality and fiction. Myths are taking on new shapes: virtual worlds, social networks, pop culture, conspiracy theories. These new myths often replace traditional stories and serve as a refuge from the complexity and uncertainty of the world.

The Loss of Critical Thinking and the Role of Artificial Intelligence
As the pace of society accelerates and artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, people are more likely to accept ready-made stories and “truths” without verifying them. This leads to a resignation of critical thinking and a dominance of “prefabricated” myths that are often accepted without reflection.

The Atomization of Society and the Search for Meaning
Society is becoming increasingly atomized; people create their own worlds and values, which often differ from those of others. Nevertheless, new collective myths emerge, spreading like epidemics—examples include hoaxes and disinformation.

The Regenerative Potential of Myth
Myth has the power to regenerate and renew society; it offers hope and meaning, especially in times when people are losing their certainties and fleeing from history. Fictional stories, for example, can spark enthusiasm and provide a refuge from uncertainty.

Let us not simply drift along with ready-made stories.
Let us not resign ourselves to passivity or abandon critical thinking and our own agency.

Abstract of the Conversation between Professor Miroslav Petříček and Tomáš Zapletal Cermak

18/06/2025

The Cermak Eisenkraft_ Gallery presents an exhibition entitled Myths, which reflects the shift of contemporary society from reality towards a mythical perception of the universe. At a time of growing uncertainty among the younger generation, outpaced and disillusioned, Myth once again becomes a means of escaping from the complexity of today’s world and a journey into symbolic structures and alternative realities.

The exhibition presents visually powerful and symbolically rich works by notable Czech and German artists who employ the distinctive language of symbols in response to how the perception of reality is being transformed – whether through escape into digital media, virtual reality, introspective levels or addictions; their work opens the gates to the realm of fantasy and inner landscapes. At the same time, they pose questions about meaning and values in these uncertain times and draw attention to subliminal social movements that can be the harbinger of greater, more serious changes.

Here, Myth is not just a reminder of the past, but a topical language that helps communicate present-day concerns and challenges. The exhibition shows that Myths are not dead – on the contrary, they continue to shape our relationship to our surroundings and to ourselves, and to ourselves, encouraging reflection, open contemplation and personal interpretation, thus creating space for different views of contemporary reality.
*
*
*
*
*

18/06/2025

MYTHS

Šimon Brejcha, Jiří Černický, Karel Štědrý, Vladimír Véla, Fritz Bornstück, Lennart Grau, Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Viet Bang Pham, Paul Wesenberg a Maik Wolf.

Curator and author of the project: Tomáš Zapletal Cermak
Project guarantors: prof. Miroslav Petříček, prof. Mark Gisbourne
Organizer: Cermak Eisenkraft_ Gallery, cermakeisenkraft.com
Venue: Cermak Eisenkraft_ Gallery, Národní 9 (2nd floor), Prague 1
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (July, August and weekends by prior telephone arrangement)
Dates: from 18 June to 12 September 2025

Myths are not dead! At a time of growing uncertainty, an accelerated pace and an abundance of information, Myth once again becomes a means of understanding the world and an escape into symbolic structures.

The exhibition responds to the current phenomenon of turning away from reality to mythical thinking in an artistic, and the broader social context. Ten prominent Czech and German artists reflect, in their distinctive visual language, on the disillusionment of not only the young generation, and their escape into the world of social networks, virtual reality or addictions, opening the gates to the realm of fantasy, symbolism and inner experiences. Along the way they ask questions about meaning and values in challenging times, and draw attention to subliminal social movements that can be a harbinger of larger, more momentous changes.

The exhibition bears witness that Myth is not just a reminder of our past, but an active player that shapes our relationship to our surroundings and to ourselves, encourages reflection, open contemplation and personal interpretation, thus creating space for varied and new perspectives on reality and our world.
*
*
*
*
*

24/09/2024

Jana Kasalová (* 1974, Turnov) is a Czech visual artist.

She works with drawing, painting, video art and photography. She studied at the painting studio of Jiří Načeradský at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology.

In 2000 she received a Spanish State Scholarship and a scholarship from the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97 and in 2010 she completed postgraduate studies in Fine Arts and Art Therapy at the Universidad Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca and the Universidad Complutense in Madrid.

Her work can be divided into three broad categories according to the different types of media: work on paper, work on canvas and work using new media. These formally defined areas partly reflect her own thematic delimitation: the first two forms are used by the artist mainly to process contents related to memory circumscribed by the horizon of time and space (maps or landscapes in artographic form) and human corporeality (works created using breast milk). Photographs and videos are largely concerned with the duality of man and animal, culture and nature.

Jana Kasalová is particularly interested in the memory of the soul, which is not born and therefore does not die, as well as in exploring the third eye, which the artist depicts as Parisian blue, the colour assigned in Eastern teachings to the sixth chakra. Purple, the colour assigned to the seventh crown chakra located at the top of the head, also appears in their drawings. It is associated with spiritual connection, unity and higher consciousness. It connects us to the spiritual world and cosmic energy. She is represented in public and private collections in Europe and the USA, but especially in Italy and Spain.
*
*
*
*
*

24/09/2024

Jana Kasalová (* 1974, Turnov) is a Czech visual artist.

She works with drawing, painting, video art and photography. She studied at the painting studio of Jiří Načeradský at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology.

In 2000 she received a Spanish State Scholarship and a scholarship from the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97 and in 2010 she completed postgraduate studies in Fine Arts and Art Therapy at the Universidad Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca and the Universidad Complutense in Madrid.

Her work can be divided into three broad categories according to the different types of media: work on paper, work on canvas and work using new media. These formally defined areas partly reflect her own thematic delimitation: the first two forms are used by the artist mainly to process contents related to memory circumscribed by the horizon of time and space (maps or landscapes in artographic form) and human corporeality (works created using breast milk). Photographs and videos are largely concerned with the duality of man and animal, culture and nature.

Jana Kasalová is particularly interested in the memory of the soul, which is not born and therefore does not die, as well as in exploring the third eye, which the artist depicts as Parisian blue, the colour assigned in Eastern teachings to the sixth chakra. Purple, the colour assigned to the seventh crown chakra located at the top of the head, also appears in their drawings. It is associated with spiritual connection, unity and higher consciousness. It connects us to the spiritual world and cosmic energy. She is represented in public and private collections in Europe and the USA, but especially in Italy and Spain.
*
*
*
*
*

17/09/2024

Cermak Eisenkraft_ Gallery presents an exhibition entitled Senses.

Vladimír Véla (* 1980 Turnov)

Czech painter, whose work is inextricably linked to the fantasy landscape of the Bohemian Paradise region and to memories of his native home in Turnov, filled with banal but mysterious objects. His use of colour forms the foundation of his work. The intrinsic power of the motif is enhanced by the simplicity of expression, the monumentality of details, which the artist composes into new positions of meaning. Véla’s work defies stylistic classification; he is fascinated by the process of capturing the subconscious ‘feeling-substances’ of experience, in which quest he is aided by a refined and distinctive painting technique.

Václav Jirásek (* 1965, Karviná)

Czech photographer, Who is autodidact in photography. He exclusively used large format cameras and the subsequent direct contact of the negative with barite photographic paper. In his free work, he works mostly with photography without thematic definition. The common denominator of his works is his interest in mystery, mask, irony, new documentary, decadence and recycling of art. Since 2003, the artist has been working on the as yet unfinished documentation of Mikuláš flying in Wallachia.

Ahmet Yiğider (*1984, Artvin, Turkey)

Turkish sculptor and interdisciplinary artist. He also manages creative processes in a company producing fragrances to enrich industrial consumer products and food flavours. His preferred sculptural materials are aromatic woods, with which he can establish a strong sensory connection. On the other hand, he focuses on the social behaviour of certain biological species, working on experiments using molecular analysis techniques. Between the studio and the laboratory, his challenge is to push the boundaries of creative conceptual thinking and formal freedom within his sensory projects and sculptures.
*
*
*
*
*

17/09/2024

Ahmet Yiğider
(*1984, Artvin) is a Turkish sculptor and interdisciplinary artist.

Ahmet Yiğider’s creative method is a silent dialogue about the impact of technological progress on human life, ecological problems, civilizational processes, and the capabilities of the human mind and intellect. The artist looks for form, seeks to understand its material, and gets closer to its essence. This search focuses on the ancient emblematic and symbolic system and the expressive sculptural language of ancient civilizations. At the same time, his work is based on the modernist tradition that desires to express an idea in the form of a generalizing symbol, visually distinct and multi-faceted at the same time.

The interdisciplinary work Smell the Ant’s Essence offers a unique experience through an installation emphasizing olfaction, scent composition, and harmony. The artist is interested in ‘living organisms’ in nature; the material he most often favours in his sculptural works are aromatic woods that let him establish a firm sensory connection. He regards ants as superorganisms and focuses on their social behaviour. Ants hunt, forage for food, gather supplies, provide security, fight, obey social rules and punish those who don’t, and achieve all of this through pheromone secretion and olfaction.

In his studies and observations of ants, Yiğider has made important discoveries about olfaction, through molecular analyses using cutting-edge technologies and methods. These findings are based on sensory and molecular analyses of the chemicals secreted by ants under different stress levels. His molecular-level analysis of ant body tissue has revealed more than a thousand molecules.
*
*
*
*
*