*1976 Prague CZE
Alena Kupčíková graduated from the Prague Academy of Fine Arts – completed by the Ph.D. title, studying abroad – she studied at the Technikon Natal in South Africa and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Art in Paris, France.
Her most famous work is the creation of the technique “hairy drawing” or “relief from hairs”. She is also the author of a number of installations and projects with distinct conceptual features and interdisciplinary overlapping. Her themes are human sexuality, femininity, beauty, sharing.
The gently provocative yet still charming private-looking female nudes captured by the “relief from hairs” technique using female and male pubic hairs, as well as the technique of painting with one hair on canvas or silk combined with stones of the Czech Preciosa brand - Genuine czech crystal.
Gilding surfaces with 24 carat gold alternating with pure silver multiply or single pubic hairs and emphasize the reflections of female charm, duplicate meanings and are combined with the symbolism of animals.
She develops the pubic hairs by gilding and silvering them galvanically and also by hand. She then embeds her work with diamonds or Czech crystal.
2004 - 2010 Doctorate Degree, Ph. D., the Academy of Fine Arts, Prof. Milan Knížák, project – The alphabet book and tests for dyslexic children: www.dys.cz, Prague, Czech Republic
1997 – 2003 Master, Studied at Prof. Ales Vesely’s studio monumental art at the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU), Prague, Czech Republic
2003 Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, Paris, France
2000 Technikon Natal, Durban, South Africa, JAR
1995 – 1997 Václav Hollar Secondary Art School, Prague, Czech Republic
1993 – 1995 Secondary ceramics school, Bechyne, Czech Republic
The documentary film ‘30 minutes In the Rhythm of Alena Kupčíková’
directed by Jaroslav Černý, Czech Television, 2010 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx8LKA4rGyg
Video: How to make relief from hairs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h-AqYm980k
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