(1969, Opava) Painter. He studied under Daniel Balabán at the University of Ostrava’s Art Department (1999–2005). He lives and works in Ostrava. His works are represented in the collection of the National Gallery in Prague and the Richard Adam collection. He has been exhibiting (both solo and as part of group exhibitions) since 2000. Bednář’s works explore a depersonalized world full of dark recesses. Sometimes this darkness is projected into nightmarish urban scenery, sometimes into raw landscapes captured in wild brushstrokes and expressive colours. Bednář often works with figures, though these often become deformed and degraded. One of the most characteristic aspects of Bednář’s imagination is the notion of weight and heavy burdens. In his canvases he does not restrict himself to painting; sometimes he adds textual elements whose form resembles that of graffiti tags, and at other times materials of various origin are assembled and attached to the surface of the painting. Bednář’s works are imbued with a subliminal critique of social or societal phenomena, such as the excess of masculine or feminine energy in relation to the opposite sex. His landscapes include depictive elements that we could perceive as clues to reading the works, yet they immediately disintegrate and become lost among the indeterminate meanings of the compositional entity. And so Bednář’s paintings confront us with a visual mystery: our eyes are drawn into them readily, but deciphering the images represents a greater challenge.