The 6th edition of Art Prague, a major European art fair, will take place from May 21st until 27th, 2007 at the Mánes Exhibition Hall and at other locations within Prague. For this occasion Eva Kolarik, guest curator from The Czech Republic and The Netherlands, selected ten new paintings by Dirk Jan Jager [1965, NL]. At the same time work by Marc Hulson [1965, UK] will be exhibited.

Up to recently, Art Prague was a mainly national affair, showing works of art predominantly selected by Czech galleries. However, its international importance is growing steadily, as more and more contributions come in from Germany, France, Italy, Japan and other countries. This year, The Netherlands will be represented as well, among others by artist-run gallery outLINE.

Jager is not just an artist, but a major driving force behind more than a few major art manifestations as well, organised by outLINE but also by other organisations. Thus he realised 'de inrichting' (The Asylum), a multimedia art happening within the confines of the mental asylum in Heiloo, The Netherlands, and the ‘Salón de los Immigrantes’, another well-publicised multimedia art event, at the Oude Kerk (Old Church), Amsterdam.

Apart from more or less traditional painting techniques, Jager also makes use of photography and other contemporary media. Still he feels a painter at heart, convincingly showing that painting as a form of art is not at all dead and gone, as is all too often wrongly maintained. Though experimenting with a broad range of new techniques and materials, he went for ever more limited color ranges as well as subject matters on the other hand. Black and white, shades of grey are his main things. Returning subjects relate to Sumo wrestlers preparing and concentrating on a fight, or to babies unaware of their immediate environment intensely staring to their own minute bodily externals like their tiny hands or feet. Both subjects refer to the artist’s predicament in concentrating on the outset of creating a work of art. Jager prefers bold and expressive brush strokes, on quite unusual textures, like rough textiles as sold in gardening shopping centres, or lace curtains or even rubber door mats. This way real space may enter imaginary space.

Also, there will be a book launch: Dirk Jan Jager / Sumo Baby, isbn 978-90-808369-2-1