Roman Ondák, 'Shadow', 1981/2013 (Detail), Oil painting on MDF, glass, display case
Courtesy of the artist
Roman Ondák is known for creating environments and interventions that challenge our assumptions about the world around us. His witty and intelligent works provide a philosophical or political twist on everyday experiences, often creating a loop, either actual or metaphorical, around an object, space or idea.
Roman Ondak, 'Some Thing', installation view, The Common Guild, 2013. Photo: Ruth Clark
In his work for The Common Guild, Ondák offered a personal reflection on the phenomenon of the picture through a selection of still life paintings made by the artist as a teenager. The original objects that served as the subject of these pictures over thirty years ago were paired with the paintings, creating an echo of the painted image and highlighting the relationship between reality, fiction and image.
Ondák’s exhibition in Glasgow was the first presentation of his work in Scotland and his third solo presentation in the UK, following exhibitions at Tate Modern, London, (2006) and Modern Art Oxford (2011).
Exhibition Details
‘Some Thing’ was accompanied by the presentation of ‘This Way, Please’, (1999) at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). The performance work was acquired by GoMA in 2013 through the Art Fund International scheme, as part of a partnership between GoMA and The Common Guild.
Read the Commentary by Latitudes (Max Andrews and Mariana Cánepa Luna) –
Engagement –
The Common Guild works with a range of groups on a programme of workshops that explore ideas related to each exhibition. For Roman Ondák’s exhibition, ‘Some Thing' , workshops were led by Anne Marie Copestake, Alex Impey and Katie Schwab and the programme was coordinated by Catrin Kemp.
