abstraktisti

Abstraktisti is a loose term used by art historians and critics to describe a network of artists who pursue non-representational painting and sculpture. The term arose in the early 1980s after a Prague-based exhibition and subsequent writings described a shared approach to form, color, and materiality. It is not a formal school; instead it designates a sensibility and set of practices.

Style and aims: The Abstraktisti treat abstraction as an autonomous language, separate from representational imagery. Their work emphasizes formal elements—color, line, shape, texture—and the perception of surface and space. They often organize work through systems, seriality, or field concepts, while allowing procedural elements or chance to influence outcomes.

Media and methods: Most adherents work primarily in painting on canvas or panel; many also create works in printmaking, sculpture, or installation. Common media include acrylics, oils, enamel, pigment on unprimed surfaces, and mixed-media supports. Concepts such as rhythm, balance, and tension govern their compositions.

Notable figures: The circle includes artists such as Mara Kessler, Leonard Foy, and Jonas Malin. They are associated with galleries in Vienna and Berlin and with artist-run spaces that prize formal experimentation. Their works often appear in surveys of late 20th-century abstraction.

Reception: Critics view the Abstraktisti as part of a broader return to materiality and formal clarity within abstraction. Some accuse the movement of aloofness or lack of narrative, while supporters praise its insistence on perceptual experience and its influence on younger generations.