Jana Bednárová is a professional artist from Slovakia who has been dedicated to her art research on wild nature in North East India for the past decade. She relocated to North East India after completing her master’s degree in fine arts in 2014. This year marked her first visit to Nagaland, where she stayed for two weeks to explore and depict the pristine nature of Dzükou Valley. Using her specific art technique, she painted outdoors using handmade pigments on Eri silk.
Through her outdoor paintings, Jana aims to capture the essence of wild nature and preserve images of harmony, mutuality, and co-existence that are fading from human perception.
Jana has been actively involved in various projects in Meghalaya, including an art residency program called ‘Artists’ Point’ and an ecological initiative named ‘Pine Home’ with ‘Picasso Pupils, an Art Society’ since 2016. She is a founding member of this international art organization based in Shillong and Slovakia, focusing on the cultural exchange of resource professionals.
Her art experience will be presented via a short video at the Hipfest, Hornbill International photo fest/contest, and art gallery inaugurated on the first day of the Hornbill Festival. You can join her art talk on the second day of the festival at the Local Colors Art Exhibition, the Art Corner hosted by TaFMA Nagaland.
The results of her project in Nagaland will be showcased in art exhibitions in Europe, promoting the exotic natural beauty of Nagaland creatively in the European region.
Plein-air painting has become Jana’s characteristic art technique as she immerses herself in the landscape of North-East India, where she currently lives and works. Walking in pristine, untouched nature and discovering hidden jungle scenes may become a utopic memory in the future. Bednarova works with handmade pigments used in miniature painting of manuscripts, applying them on handwoven traditional silk.
The video offers glimpses of plein-air painting in Dzukou Valley areas, where Jana works directly on-site, portraying the untouched nature’s scenes. Through outdoor paintings on Eri silk with Hengul Haital pigments, she endeavors to capture the natural environment and preserve images of harmony, mutuality, and co-existence.
The project focuses on observing nature and its sustainable ecosystem, which functions without human intervention, emphasizing that the existence of humankind ultimately lies in the hands of nature.
Jana Bednarova’s education includes a Master of Visual Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University of Baroda, India, with an ICCR Scholarship in 2014. She holds a BcA. degree from the Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, VUT Brno, Czech Republic, in 2012, and has received scholarships from CEPUS in 2011 and ERASMUS in 2009 for her studies in painting.
AWARDS:
2023: Slovak Arts Council Scholarship for the creation of Artwork
2022: Slovak Arts Council Scholarship for the art mobility Project ‘Plener in Kaziranga’
2021: Asia Europe Foundation Grant for the project “Portraits”
2019 and 2020: Top ten in National Award for painting VUB Bank
2020: Scholarship of the Slovak Arts Council for the creation of Artwork
(A DIPR feature)
