Melting the Pot: Chapter 2
MELTING THE POT: CHAPTER 2
Silvina Arismendi
Tom Kotik
Kristyna and Marek Milde
Hana Shannon
Petra (Gupta) Valentova
The Czech Residence (17 E 66th St, NY 10065, btw 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue). Through October 27th, 2024.
Fifteen years after their original 2009 exhibition, Melting the Pot, which took place at the Czech Center NY, this new show reunites six New York-based artists who continue to thrive in the city’s vibrant art scene. MELTING THE POT: CHAPTER 2 reflects their ongoing exploration of cultural identity, relocation, and artistic transformation.
This exhibition revisits and expands upon the concept introduced in 2009 by curator Marek Milde: rather than blending into a homogeneous mass, these artists have continued to reshape their individual art practices, changing the "pot" of cultural framing. Their work highlights how, over time, the artists have influenced the city’s cultural landscape, while New York has equally shaped their creative journeys.
Through a range of media, including sculpture, painting, and installations, these New York-based artists with strong connections to the Czech Republic through heritage, studies, or origin showcase how they have sustained and evolved their creative voices in New York, reflecting both personal and collective narratives in an ever-changing urban environment.
About the Artists:
Silvina Arismendi was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. In 2000, she received a scholarship to study in the Czech Republic. She Received her MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in 2007, graduating from the Painting Studio of Vladimir Skrepl and Jiri Kovanda. Since 2003, she has exhibited in many European cities, as well as in Latin America and the United States. In 2007 she founded galería parásito/..., which is a curatorial platform for the cultural exchange between Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Tom Kotik is an artist and curator who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York and has exhibited internationally since 1996. An avid musician, Tom plays in various rock and jazz ensembles in New York City, and this connection to music inspires his visual art. Tom’s work seeks to give visceral form to the ethereal phenomenon that is music. He focuses on the structural nature of music; how music is built from multiple rhythms and tones that add up to a complete work. Tom’s art is similarly structured on colorful elements which are inspired by tonalities in music that when combined produce a whole work of Art.
Kristyna and Marek Milde are a Czech-born, New York-based artist duo whose cross-disciplinary practice encompasses sculpture, photography, and installation. They focus on the interplay between anthropocentric environment and the natural world. Their art addresses themes of displacement, isolation, and passive consumerism, revealing the interdependencies between nature and urbanization while challenging the contradictions inherent in these relationships.Kristyna and Marek Milde have exhibited internationally at prestigious venues such as the Queens Museum, MoMA, and DOX Center for Contemporary Art. They have participated in esteemed residencies at Art Omi, ISCP, and LMCC Process Space. Their work has been featured in prominent publications, including The New York Times, Flash art and Hyperallergic. Kristyna studied painting at Assenza Malschule in Basel, while Marek studied sculpture at Atelier Dodekaeder in Germany. Both earned their MFAs from Queens College, New York, in 2007. They reside in Brooklyn with their son Adam. Marek works at the Czech Center New York and Whitney Museum. Currently, they are preparing for their first solo museum exhibition at Kunsthalle Praha, set to open in Spring 2025.
Hana Shannon is a classically trained painter from the Czech Republic specializing in portraiture. She received her Master's degree in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and moved to the US over a decade ago to pursue her painting career. The exhibition of her colorful portraits in the storefront windows of Bergdorf Goodman, the legendary department store, was a landmark achievement for Hana. The direct connection with the viewers seeing her work in a “non-gallery” setting was a unique experience. Hana has exhibited at the Czech Cultural Center in New York on multiple occasions, including the critically acclaimed group show, “New Bohemia - Reflect What You Are,” in 2019, which was curated by Charlotta Kotik. Recently, her work was on view at Village One Art Gallery in Chelsea as part of “Idylls & Reveries”, and at Van Der Plas Gallery in Lower East Side (“Oasis of Color”), 2023. Her outstanding solo show, featuring silhouettes of important Czech figures "Czech Luminaries" which was on view in Spring 2024 at the Bohemian National Hall, marked another significant milestone in her career. Indeed, Shannon's magnificent tribute to diverse Czechs both contemporaries and historical figures was a great success.
Petra (Gupta) Valentova is a Czech-born, New York-based artist whose work explores nature, identity, and memory through various media, including hand-printed textiles. She bridges traditional and contemporary art practices, advocating for ethical engagement and cultural heritage. Valentova’s art incorporates traditional crafts from India, her husband's homeland, and focuses on collaborations with Czech blueprint (indigo-dyeing) artisans. Her projects center on craft innovation, intellectual and cultural rights, and women handworkers. Valentova’s work on paper is inspired by the Hudson River Valley's natural environment, where she spends much of her time. Her collaboration with Czech artist František Matoušek aka Francis De Nim has resulted in innovative works that blend traditional and contemporary techniques on denim. Her work is featured in public and private collections worldwide, including the Czech National Gallery. In 2023, she received the Gold Crystal Heart award from the Czech Center New York for promoting Czech culture. She holds a PhD from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (UMPRUM) in Prague, MgA. from the Academy of Arts in Prague (AVU), and an MFA from Hunter College, CUNY. Her one-person show Drawn from the Unseen is currently on display at the Czech Center NY until October 31st.