"Portrait of Jakub Kalousek" by Mimi Heft,
acrylics on acetate, 2017
Jakub Kalousek was born in 1958, in Prague, Czech Republic. He attended Hollar Graphic Arts School specializing in printmaking and photography. In1978, Mr. Kalousek emigrated to the United States, and received political asylum in San Francisco. He graduated from Holography Institute in1979 and received B.A. in painting and printmaking from San Francisco State University. In 1985, he received M.F.A. in printmaking from San Francisco Art Institute. Mr.Kalousek work is quite broad and fluid in using various mediums and stages, ranging from classical methods of printmaking, painting, sculpture, and to film, stage and site specific installations and further combinations thereof. In 1988, Mr. Kalousek founded Boron Press, a small independent publishing company devoted to the collaboration between international artists and writers. Jakub Kalousek followed the literary collaborations with number of short films and animations as well as contributing to literary quaterly Dirty Goat with articles and translations of the Czech new wave authors. Mr.Kalousek’s drawings appeared in magazines and books in the United States and abroad, as well as on the CD and DVD covers. His obtuse quirky mind spews out in short absurd animations (such as a trailer for Lars Von Trier's "Element of Crime") and in cross-genre short films, music videos, and web series. Mr.Kalousek's film work had been shown repeatedly in Ann Arbor Film Festival, New York MOMA and others.In 1999, he prototyped one of the first video mapping projects for Academy of Art University fashion show in San Francisco. Strong narrative aspect in Mr. Kalousek's subject matter, and volatile figurative imagery makes his work well suited for collaboration with literary authors. Jakub Kalousek film directing led him to stage and opera with several productions at the Thick House Theater, in San Francisco. From 2001, Jakub Kalousek had been directing live stage performances for broadcast as well as several stage productions and operas. His opera "From The Place Where You Can Catch The Cold" featured innovative wireless video projection from a remotely controlled dirigible inside the theater many years before the use of drones. The opera with Peter Tittelbach musical score verges on the edge of true audience interactive integration:" The breadth of mediums that Mr. Kalousek applies himself to always pique viewer's curiosity with continuous focus rack through a layers the absurd and desultory he is surrounded in his neighborhood inof West Oakland" ( Uma Kartova, “ART NODALITY” ). Mr.Kalousek expanded his socio-political philosophy called "CULTIVATION COMPLACENCY" in number of in-situ installations and performances as semi-private happenings. In addition of his own work, he had been curating ODC gallery in San Francisco t from 1999 - 2002, and from 2019, Compact 14 Drive-in Gallery in San Francisco Jakub Kalousek is a member of "The Most Unintroducible" group, And Kohoutenberg Institute Emeritus.