Life is so wonderful

Dominik Mareš seeks inspiration for his work while travelling and among his loved ones. "Life is so wonderful. Just pause for a moment and say 'I love myself' and enjoy the fact that leaves are falling right now. Those are the moments I have been trying to record," Mareš explains.

He is currently hosting an exhibition in the garden of the Slavic House called In Every NOW. Mareš was inspired for this title by his son, who is now two years old. "Until then, I had lived very egocentrically and thought only of myself. Suddenly I realised that we are no longer alone and I have a lifelong positive commitment," says the painter. The exhibition features a careful selection of paintings. "The last pieces are very delicate and pure. It's about how a dad can be a dad," says Mareš, who was a morning guest on Radio Z. He received a warm welcome in the studio from presenter Petra Květová Pšeničná.

Mareš describes the period of his life before his son was born as an expressive and dynamic stage, characteristic of Rock'n'Roll. "Now, when I create, I prefer to listen to the spoken word and focus on how I view the child's development and growth. Now, I can really see how time passes. The growth and development is so wholesome that it makes me absolutely happy," admits Mareš. Apart from all that, he also considers the birth of his son a huge contribution to his own artistic life.

Mareš is an abstract artist. "When I paint a landscape, you will find it there. When I paint a city, you will also see it," Mareš replies to a frequent question about what people should understand by abstract art. But abstraction also holds a secret, he says, in the sense that the viewer will see something different each time he looks at the work.

Listen to the interview of moderator Petra Květová Pšeničná with painter Dominik Mareš.