⁠Waiting for Naomi Campbell

Filip Kůrka is one of the prominent representatives of the younger generation of Czech figurative painters. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he attended the studios of Martin Mainer and Jiří Petrbok, and also completed internships at Jiří David’s studio at UMPRUM in Prague and at Middlesex University in London. In his work, he distinctively combines traditional painting techniques and references to art history with contemporary themes, irony, grotesque elements and provocation. An important aspect of his practice is his original concept of “hunting realism”, which he presented in solo exhibitions at The Chemistry Gallery and Galerie Portheimka. His works have also been exhibited at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, Museum Zoya in Slovakia and in London, among other venues. In 2026, he presented his solo exhibition Cambion at (A)void Gallery in Prague.

“In the painting Waiting for Naomi Campbell, the viewer may see a certain parallel with Waiting for Godot, who never arrives. Our journey through the Congo was defined by waiting, anticipation, searching and tracking something that, more often than not, never appeared. As a result of this prolonged waiting, new and unexpected situations, experiences and encounters arose. I came to realise that this wild landscape would show us what it itself wanted to reveal, rather than what we had imagined from the comfort of our homes. The idea of two local men waiting in the wilderness in the middle of the night for the world-famous model Naomi Campbell is therefore just as improbable and absurd as that of a group of seventeen white people waiting to encounter an elephant in the wild.
The painting is a kind of amalgamation of experiences, observations and feelings gathered throughout the journey. It reflects my fascination with the local people and with colour – not only the colours of the landscape, but also, for example, those of fabrics and houses. Last but not least, it reflects my fascination with darkness in the wilderness. A visitor to this landscape finds themselves outside their comfort zone, imagining what might be lurking around them and where. With the onset of night and darkness, this imagination intensifies: the human mind and eye begin to fill in what cannot be seen, conjuring up things and dangers that are often nothing more than products of the visitor’s own imagination.”

100% of the hammer price will be donated to support the Save Elephants project.