Josef Rataj

Josef Rataj (* 29 May 1979, Plzeň) Painter, artist, performer. His family built up a positive relationship to art in him from his early childhood. He came to his own work during his repeated trips to Los Angeles, where he was completely captivated by the advertising design and kitsch style of 1950s pop art, the glittering Venice Beach and the vibrant advertising signs of Las Vegas casinos. The overwhelming appeal of neon colors, invincible superheroes and a world of growing consumerism steered him towards his current art career. Today, Josef Rataj ranks among the pioneers of this style in our country. Apart from pop-art combined with abstraction, he also works with 3D objects.However, he did not stop at creating works on canvases and walls. During more than 15 years, he has projected his distinctive style into several multimedia shows and collaborations on clothing collections of well-known brands. Now, in collaboration with leading designers, he is working on a brand new project under his own name. He organizes workshops for emerging artists and participates in the choreography of shows combining painting and dance. In projects such as Colour Heroes, he has combined his painting skills with talented dancers, acrobats and stuntmen to create a concept combining the techniques of speed painting and dance performance. In just a few minutes and accompanied by a group of performers, Josef brings portraits of famous and fictional figures to life on blank canvases. This visual ride now accompanies the performances of the most famous Czech and foreign musicians and, thanks to its original concept, has become the highlight of the programme of many festivals and social events.