Paradise Garden exhibition delves into the Edenic realm of art

An unexpected partnership - Czech painter Vladimír Kiseljov and the mysterious artist known only as Kobayashi - brings to life an ingenious exhibition called “Taste Paradise!” at the Vrtbovská Zahrada (Paradise Garden). Starting August 1st, the display explores the world of spiritual themes and abstract shapes, open until the end of the month.

Both artists exhibit their most renowned paintings, including the “Ride of the Valkyries" by the Czech artist, as well as Mickey and Minnie by Kobayashi. This unlikely collaboration started two years ago when Kobayashi approached Kiseljov at his exhibition at the NTK Library in Prague. 

Their partnership quickly took off, with the two often meeting at parties hosted by the Czech artist. 

“We both love themes like symbolism, mythology, stylization – he’s into Buddhism, and I explore religious symbolism that goes beyond Christianity. We share topics but express them differently,”  Vladimír Kiseljov said.

This year's display “Taste Paradise!” comes with a twist on this topic - it creates an intentional pun on both the thematic and the name of the location of this exhibit. 

This is shown through the creation of a contrast between the religious-themed imagery, and the Prague populations’ atheism, since the capital city of Czech Republic is one of the largest cities in Central Eastern Europe with a high percentage of non-believers.

Kobayashi, who adopts an ordinary Japanese surname popular because of figures such as F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi or ski jumper Ryōyū Kobayashi, is new to the world of religious imagery. 

He is better known for his simplified figures and bold use of primary colors, proposing an easily readable graphic language in his paintings. In works that draw on comic book inspiration, Kobayashi simplifies the reduction of the composition to primary colors, which serves to emphasize their mass appeal and largely gives them a “pop” look.

On the other hand, the Czech artist exhibits regularly in the Paradise Garden, this being the fourth time his paintings adorn the walls of the baroque interior, making the themes well familiar to him. His previous exhibition was "Garden Mysteries” composed of pieces that were, according to the author, “more hermetic”.

Further highlighting the exhibition's originality, Kiseljov will treat the display hall as his workspace for the next month, allowing visitors to observe him during his creative process. 

Kiseljov’s faithful followers are excited about his new exhibit. “Each certainly has its own story and meaning”.  - Viktoriya Tomashuk, a local, said.