Jaromír Novotný, Untitled (Unchosen Words)

“The greater the distance, the clearer the view: one sees the tiniest details with the utmost clarity." W. G. Sebald, The Rings of Saturn

Jaromír Novotný (b. 1974, Český Brod, Czechoslovakia) presents his first individual exhibition at Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Wijnegem, following his earlier solo presentation in Hong Kong in 2020. In these new works, attention turns to the almost imperceptible: the line of a seam, the gentle vibration of light across fabric, the space between one surface and the next. His paintings do not offer images to be deciphered but environments for perception, spaces in which looking becomes a patient and wandering act.

Novotný’s practice is guided by a careful listening to materials. Beginning from the reverse side of the canvas, he allows each work to unfold naturally, without forcing an outcome. The resulting paintings are fields of relation: a line shifts in response to light, a colour changes depending on its neighbour, a surface reveals depth when approached. These works echo Georges Perec’s Species of Spaces, in which everyday objects and overlooked moments gain weight through attentive observation. Like Perec, Novotný finds significance in what is often missed: a crease in the fabric, a faint shift in tone, the presence of colour.

Recent years have seen a shift from the delicate translucency of organza to the more assertive presence of polyester. Light still passes through, but it is no longer ephemeral; it is tangible and grounded. This change is particularly visible in his yellow series. At first glance, the paintings appear uniform, yet each canvas carries a tone that moves between yellow and green, responding to its neighbours. Together, they form a family, related yet distinct. Their luminous presence contrasts with the reserved subtlety of his earlier works. Growing up under the strictures of the communist regime of former Czechoslovakia, Novotný’s gesture here is measured yet insistent, personal yet relational.

Novotný belongs to a lineage of artists who treat painting not as representation but as space for perception. Like Agnes Martin, Robert Ryman or John Zurier, he cultivates attention, restraint and awareness. His works invite inhabitation rather than reading, asking viewers to linger: the crease, the presence of colour, the movement of light across folds.

Ultimately, Novotný’s paintings offer an encounter with fragility and nuance. Meaning does not depend on grand gestures, but emerges in fleeting, precise moments, where the world reveals itself. In the space between assertion and subtlety, between the seen and the nearly invisible, his voice is calm, deliberate and unmistakable.