Gažiová Ladislava lives and works in Prague. She was born in Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia, in 1981 and studied 2002/2003 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (Vladimir Skrepl’s studio) and 2003–2008 at the city’s Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (in the studio of conceptual and intermedia art, taught by Jiří David). With an oeuvre including painting, installation, conceptual art, photography and curation, she has exhibited widely in Europe since 2005.
Her early painting technique comprised spraying over complex templates onto an unprimed canvas, creating a visually atmospheric socio-political critique. Her dreamlike fantasy world shifted into the everyday reality of contemporary life, reflecting the author’s political engagement.
In recent years, Ladislava’s work has explored issues of social exclusion, everyday racism, the social consequences of the crisis of neoliberal politics, and has addressed in detail the cultural and political situation of Roma ethnicity throughout history, focusing on the post-colonial reading of Roma history. African-American liberation movements have become a point of departure for her: she often draws from visual materials of the Black Panther Party or Afro-futurists.
Her most recent work-in-progress, Džas Bare Dromeha [We’re on a Long Road], aims to present Roma artworks without perceiving them through an ethnographic lens. Ladislava is creating a chronology of art which, instead of focusing on fixed folklore motifs and a romanticising nomadic vision, demonstrates an awareness of emancipatory moments in Roma history.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2005
Tralala – KarlinStudios Gallery, Prague
2006
Temeraf – EscortGallery, Brno
2008
Yesterday I Disinfected All Of Heaven – Critic’s Gallery, Prague
2012
Tramping To The Orient – NOD Gallery, Prague
Geological Research – 35m2 Gallery, Prague
Opre Roma – Czech Center Gallery, Munich
2013
Desert – Fotograf Gallery, Prague
How The Islands Are Built – 207 Gallery, Prague
2014
The End of the Show – Třinec City Gallery
2015
Dog on the Roof – Vyšehrad Gallery, Prague
2016
A Cloud In Trousers – Jelení Gallery, Prague
Džas bare dromeha [We’re on a Long Road] – NevanContempo Gallery, Prague
Selected Group Exhibitions
2006
Fuck the Guild – Bastard Gallery, Bratislava
Melancólia – NoD Gallery, Prague
Eternity Looms – Karlin Studios, Prague
2007
Resetting – GHMP, Prague
Prague Biennale 3 – Karlín Hall, Prague
The Sovereign European Art Price – Row Club, London
2008
Start Point – U Bíléhojednorožce Gallery, Klatovy
Paradise Lost – Kampa Museum, Prague
2009
White Paper, Black Bride – Prague Biennale 4, Karlín Hall, Prague
Young Art Bienniale – Ján Koniarek Gallery, Trnava
2010
Young Art Bienniale – Prague City Gallery, Prague
2011
ObraSKov – Wannieck Gallery, Brno
Prague Biennale 5 – Microna, Prague
New Media In Our Hands – Menu Pont, Kunsthalle Budapest
2012
Reclaiming Identity – Akademie Graz, Steirischer Herbst
2015
Under Erasure: Aspects of Roma/Gipsy/Traveler Life in Europe – Gerlesborgsskolan, Hamburgsund
Roma Body Politics – Gallery8, Budapest
2016
Kali Berga / Montenegro – Razempamoja Foundation, Cracow
From Bandung to Berlin: If all the Moons Aligned – Savvy, Berlin
2017
Czechoslovakia / A Critical Reader – Gandy Gallery, Bratislava
Prizes
2007
Finalist of The Sovereign European Art Prize, London
2008
Laureate, Prize of Art Critique for Young Painting, Prague
Source: the artist; Jan Novak, 2017