MAAPPA BLUE SERIES VI

Matěj Hošek – better known as Maatty – is a young creator whose artistic thinking has long been shaped by his close connection to maps, transit plans, and various public transportation diagrams. He speaks openly about living with autism spectrum disorder, and for him, maps are not merely a source of inspiration or a formal starting point for his work; they are a way to internally structure and make sense of the world around him. The process of mapping—depicting relationships, connections, and chronological sequences is one of the methods that can help people on the autism spectrum better navigate everyday situations. Maatty first began translating his ideas onto paper in the form of real and invented maps, routes, and transportation diagrams, which he then adapted according to his own artistic sensibilities. From initially concrete diagrams, his works gradually evolved toward greater stylization, simplification, and schematization, eventually maturing into distinctly abstract visual compositions. His work can be loosely associated with the phenomenon of art brut, meaning artistic expression by people who are generally untrained in the visual arts (Maatty, however, is studying graphic design in college) and whose work stems from an inner need, often has therapeutic undertones, and exists outside established artistic structures and trends. The painting MAAPPA BLUE SERIES VI from Maatty’s BLUE SERIES depicts linear structures that can be viewed as the remnants of an unspecified – perhaps transportation-related – schematic plan, which has been transformed into an intuitive artistic gesture. The tension between structure and intuition, rationality and emotion, is the primary aesthetic motif of this work and, more broadly, of Maatty’s artistic practice in recent years.

70 % of the hammer prize is allocated to support the non-profit foundation Spolu s odvahou, a member of the Bátor Tábor Family.