ONCE UPON A PLAIN — Naïve Painting

Exhibition of Paintings by Rastislav Ekkert

At the MÚR Gallery in Prešov, we have prepared an exhibition of paintings by Rastislav Ekkert—one of the artists featured in our online gallery Atelier Hlavina.

Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, the exhibition has been opened, albeit without a formal vernissage. We believe that many visitors will still come to experience the artworks. We recommend arranging your visit in advance by phone with the gallery owners, Marta and Marián Ferj, at: +421 905 537 289.

If the name Rastislav Ekkert sounds familiar, you are not mistaken. For years, audiences followed his television reports for JOJ TV from various parts of the world. However, his life story continues to evolve—now in a particularly compelling direction.

He describes his path to visual art in his own words:

“I was born in 1964 in Bratislava. Since childhood, nature has been the place where I felt most at home. At first, it was the forests of the Little Carpathians, and later, when I discovered mountaineering, the High Tatras, where I spent much of my time as a boy from the lowlands. Gradually, this expanded to the Caucasus, the Alps, and eventually the Himalayas.

Through my work as a reporter, I traveled extensively around the world. I witnessed war, suffering, but also the joy of ordinary people—among whom I feel most at ease. One of the highlights was my journey around the world in eighty days.

A camera, a video recorder, or a sketchbook always accompanied me. I have held several photography exhibitions, including Confession in 1990 at the Fokus Gallery in Bratislava. Over the past four years, I have had seven solo exhibitions of my paintings.”

“I began drawing and painting at an early age. I attended the weekend studio of Július Koller. Due to the demands of my work, however, I didn’t have the time or space for systematic artistic creation for many years. 

That eventually changed. Eight years ago, my partner Tinka and I moved to a small house in the solitude of the wild Muránska Planina region. It was there that my inner world of color—one I had carried within me for years—finally opened up.

Shepherds, woodcutters, simple and genuine people of the mountains—this is now my world and my inspiration.

I initially described my work as naïve art, but over time I have moved further away from literal reality, painting my dreams and desires instead. Although my work is rooted in real landscapes and people, I capture above all what resonates within me.

The exhibition is curated by Viera Žáková from the Atelier Hlavina Gallery, who reflects on the work of Rastislav Ekkert:

“I have been following Rastislav Ekkert’s work for several years. I deeply admire his profound connection to the region he chose to call home. Almost overnight, he transformed his life completely.From a fast-paced, comfort-driven city life—from travels abroad, from high mountains and tropical wilderness, from the world of television—he moved to the Muránska Planina region, to Tisovec.

This is not an easy place for everyday life. No courier services reach here. Sometimes, there is not even a phone signal. Firewood for winter must be prepared by hand. One must be ready to remain cut off from civilization for extended periods.

It requires self-sufficiency. It requires learning to accept the rawness of life in this part of the country.

To become one with it.
And to love this life—truly live it—and then express gratitude through painting. In his works, one can feel admiration for the people who have lived here all their lives, across generations.

Shepherds with their flocks, horse breeders, and humble farmers.”

Admiration for Wild Nature

In many of his paintings—especially from 2018 and 2019—you will almost always find a tree. But not an idealized one, lush and green with a smooth trunk and a wide, flourishing crown.

Instead, it is a twisted, low tree, its wrinkled trunk bent by relentless winds and harsh storms. Above it, only a few branches—rarely bearing leaves or blossoms.

And it is precisely this kind of tree that best captures the harsh reality of life in the Muránska Planina region.

Like these trees, the people here do not give up. They are deeply rooted, resilient, and despite the hardships, they endure, adapt, and take care of themselves.

In every painting, you will also find a dog—a companion and a friend. To me, it symbolizes shared joy, something that helps not only to live, but to survive.

And that life on the plateau is not only about struggle, but also about dreams and imagination, is revealed in the artist’s most recent works.

A shepherd floats in a hot air balloon or soars on wings inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. Men cutting wood imagine what it would be like to walk a tightrope like an acrobat with an umbrella—only instead of a delicate parasol, they hold an axe, laughing at themselves and with each other.

Because one thing matters above all:

To laugh.

And then return to work.

The exhibition of paintings by Rastislav Ekkert is a profound tribute to the Muránska Planina region and the people who live there.

It is a tribute painted with humility, respect, and gratitude for being accepted by this landscape.

Despite challenging and unpredictable times, I wish the exhibition great success and many perceptive visitors.