Biography

My name is Nada Kelemen, and I am a Czech visual artist. My artistic journey is somewhat unusual, as I painted my first painting at the age of fifty-one. Painting did not enter my life as a deliberately planned professional path. It became a natural continuation of more than twenty-five years during which I devoted myself to a holistic approach to the human being, Traditional Chinese Medicine, energy work, and the search for deeper connections between the body, mind, nature, and human consciousness.

I gradually realised that certain experiences and emotions cannot be fully expressed through words. Painting allowed me to give them colour, structure, movement, and space. I usually approach the canvas without a precisely defined idea of the final result. I allow myself to be guided by intuition and carefully observe what begins to emerge during the creative process. Each painting develops through several layers. Some forms remain visible, while others disappear beneath the surface, leaving behind only a trace or a memory.

I work primarily with acrylics and mixed media, and occasionally with oil. I do not perceive colour merely as an aesthetic means of expression. For me, it is a carrier of energy, emotion, and memory. My paintings may contain references to natural landscapes, water, minerals, cosmic spaces, or organic structures. However, I do not wish to impose a single interpretation upon the viewer. I want each person to have the freedom to enter the painting with their own experience and discover something personal within it.

My first significant international recognition came through my participation in the Premio Città di Montecosaro art project in Italy in 2024, where I received the main award. It was an important moment for me because it showed me that my paintings could also resonate with people beyond the environment from which I come. I did not perceive it as confirmation that I had reached a final goal, but rather as encouragement to continue along a path that I had never originally imagined for myself.

Another important experience was the inclusion of my work in the prestigious Italian project Atlante dell’Arte Contemporanea 2026. I was presented both in the international selection, “Internazionale,” and in the encyclopaedic section, “Esteri.” I deeply value this participation because the Atlante represents a historically significant documentation of contemporary art, connecting the work of today’s artists with a broader cultural memory.

In 2026, I received the Olympus Art Awards in Milan. For me, this recognition also represented, above all, a commitment to continue developing my own artistic language, to remain true to myself, and never to regard success as something automatic or guaranteed.

Another profoundly meaningful moment was the recognition I received within the El Siglo de Oro – Omaggio a Rembrandt project in Lecce, Italy. The project’s connection with Rembrandt’s legacy carried a deep significance for me. It reminded me that art can transcend time and that its true value lies in humanity, inner truth, and the ability to touch another person.

Although my works have been exhibited in numerous European cities and in the United States, and I have received more than twenty international awards, I strive to remain, above all, a person who begins anew before every blank canvas. I do not seek to push myself forward, nor do I take my achievements for granted. I sincerely appreciate every form of recognition, yet what continues to matter most to me is the moment of creation itself and the encounter with a person who is touched by one of my paintings.

Through my work, I seek to open a space between the visible and the sensed, between personal memory and universal human experience. I believe that art can make a person pause for a moment, bring them closer to themselves, and remind them of values that can sometimes become lost in the fast pace of the contemporary world.

Artist Statement

In my work, I explore the space between the visible and the sensed, between external reality and the inner human experience. Painting is my way of expressing emotions, energies, and connections that cannot be fully captured through words.

I usually approach the canvas without a predetermined outcome. I allow myself to be guided by intuition, colour, and the creative process itself. Each painting develops gradually through multiple layers. Some structures remain visible, while others are covered, allowed to disappear, and then re-emerge. Every layer preserves a trace of a particular moment, movement, or decision. In this way, the painting becomes a living record of transformation.

I work primarily with acrylics and mixed media, and occasionally with oil. I do not perceive colour merely as an aesthetic means of expression, but as a carrier of energy, emotion, and memory. The organic structures in my work may evoke landscapes, water, minerals, cellular processes, or distant cosmic spaces. However, my intention is not to depict them literally. I create an open space in which each viewer can discover their own story and meaning.

My artistic language is also influenced by my long-term study of Japanese calligraphy, shodō. Its principles are reflected in my work through gesture, rhythm, concentration, and respect for empty space. It teaches me to trust the uniqueness of every brushstroke and to accept imperfection as a natural part of an authentic creative process.

In my paintings, I repeatedly explore the themes of nature, consciousness, memory, inner transformation, and the invisible connections that link the individual to the wider order of existence. I do not seek to offer the viewer a definitive answer or determine what they should see in a painting. I want them to be able to pause before it, enter a moment of stillness, and engage with it through their own experience.

I believe that art can transcend the boundaries of language, culture, and time. It can become a place of genuine encounter—not only between the artist and the viewer, but also between individuals and their own inner world. If one of my paintings awakens a memory, an emotion, a question, or a moment of inner silence in someone, then it has fulfilled its purpose.

www.nadakelemen.art
@nada.kelemen.art

Nada Kelemen

Sylvia Kölbl

Jeong-Ah Zhang