The group exhibition Gamekeeper Realism vol. 2 presents thir- ty-two fine artists, linked by various common features. In order to perceive the aspects of gamekeeper realism in the works of the exhibiting artists, we need to first capture the essence of this style. Despite the seemingly defining name, Gamekeeper Realism represents a fluid and progressively evolving movement that serves as a means for a new kind of artistic expression. The concept is not necessarily about hunting as such, and not all of the exhibited works would a priori fit the pigeonhole of ‘realism’.

The umbrella term ‘hunting and gamekeeping’ indeed covers a wide range of metaphors and topics that can be found through- out the exhibition. There are scenes reminding of classical academic paintings, ever more marginalised in modern art.

This‘traditional’ field of art is juxtaposed with works subsumable un- der post-internet, conceptual art, modern sculpture, and other contemporary trends. In this context, it should be noted that the mainstream contemporary art is often difficult to classify under any coherent movement (perhaps for the artists’ fear of being put in a box?), especially where the obvious attempt to escape any category is apparent.

Other topics surfacing at the exhibition include social and gen- der issues, environment and ecology and the global criticism of society and its subsystems. The artists use the motif of hunting and gamekeeping as a metaphor for complex themes, such as criticism of the chauvinistic symbolism of hunting, where hunt- ers take and flaunt their pictures with the trophy. This custom has been transformed, figuratively, by rich or ostensibly wealthy nar- cissistic men in showing-off their attractive wives or mistresses as imaginary trophies. The current pathological society actually expects men in general to fulfil the role of ‘hunters’, chasing and capturing women as a prey to parade with.

Some of the exhibiting artists express the topical motif through imaginary worlds and mythological themes. Hunting is in fact the oldest subject in art, as depicted in the earliest prehistoric paintings found in the Altamira and Lascaux caves, and has remained relevant to date, albeit in a less clear form where the roles of the hunter and the hunted are blurred. In the chaos of our precipitous era pushed by rapid technical developments, such as the AI (now available to the general public), it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine art and machine-gen- erated images whose creators need not be skilled in any artistic technique.

Naturally, the Gamekeeper Realism exhibition touches on en- vironmental issues, which can evoke dystopian visions of the future, still distant, that many people imagine as idyllic with a frightening certainty. These visions are transformed into morbid, catastrophic, or even decadent artworks uncovering the under- lying destruction, decay, and sadness. The visual form of the exhibition poster assumes the attributes of darkness sparkled with humour.

The combination of the heavy-metal aesthetics with hunting culture – however absurd it may seem – has a hidden meaning. Both subcultures have in fact one common feature: the way how they are viewed by ‘ordinary people’. Even though metalheads are often considered as promoters of an aggressive worldview, they are in fact often sensitive people who point out problems nobody wants to hear about. Hunters are perceived in similarly negative way, often regarded as ‘animal killers’. However, hunters are also gamekeepers, whose job is to protect the nature and preserve its sustainability.

The Gamekeeper Realism exhibition proves that even such distant worlds intermingle in the field of aesthetics, seeping into and inspiring the contemporary art in their specific catchy way. The seemingly disparate mix of artists reflects the complexity of the modern art scene both in the Czech Republic and abroad, where the boundaries between individual styles have dissolved and art has become a single comprehensive ecosystem.

Štěpán Mikulenka

online catalog for the exhibition hunting realism vol.2 : 

https://7a478333-7353-4dde-bee7-b8b740f1f72c.filesusr.com/ugd/db84b2_50aa542feafe41a081f4450d14237bb3.pdf