Kryštof Novotný is a Czech artist whose practice bridges traditional painting and tattooing, drawing deeply from personal experience to fuse classical techniques with modern expression. Currently based in the Czech Republic, Novotný’s work explores the intersection of art and the body. His interest in curatorship informs a nuanced understanding of how art communicates with its audience. His exhibition Amaryllis presents a decade-long series of self-portraits chronicling his inner transformation, offering viewers a powerful meditation on growth, memory, and self-reflection. In What It Feels Like for a Girl, Novotný turns his attention to the female experience, presenting twenty oil paintings developed in collaboration with individual models and addressing themes of identity, equality, and social change. Through these projects, Novotný invites viewers to engage both aesthetically and emotionally, fostering reflection on universal and contemporary issues alike. We caught up to discuss his practice.
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Kryštof Novotný, thank you for taking the time to speak with Occhi Arts. Your practice bridges traditional painting techniques and modern forms of expression, including tattooing. Can you describe your earliest introduction to the arts and how these different disciplines began to intersect in your creative journey?
What first drew me to art was a deeply personal need for expression. As a child, I was a very quiet and withdrawn person, and I experienced some trauma that affected my ability to communicate. In fact, I didn’t speak until I was five years old. During that time, the only way I could express myself was through drawing. Art became my safe space, my way of speaking when words failed me. Growing up, painting became my anchor, a way to process and connect with the world around me. After finishing high school with a focus on fashion design, my love for painting grew even more. I realized that my true passion wasn’t just in designing clothes but in the act of creating art itself. Since then, I have devoted myself to painting, and it has remained my constant form of expression and growth.
Mentorship often plays a pivotal role in an artist’s development. Have you had any mentors or influential figures who shaped your approach to painting or tattooing? What lessons have stayed with you?
I haven’t had any mentors or influential figures guiding me in my painting or tattooing. Everything I’ve developed—my style, technique, and overall approach—comes purely from my own vision and dedication. It’s been a personal journey of exploration, refinement, and staying true to what feels authentic to me. I believe that’s what gives my work its unique voice.
Your Amaryllis series of self-portraits acts as a personal diary spanning nearly a decade. What inspired you to embark on such a long-term, introspective project, and how has your view of yourself changed through this process?
Even when studying art history, I was always drawn to painted self-portraits, like those by Artemisia Gentileschi or Frida Kahlo. Their work inspired me to think about what it would be like to paint myself every year, incorporating hidden symbols and thoughts that would define that specific year in my life. To me, my self-portraits are like a picture diary…The inspiration for a painting can be anything that happened in my life. I hope to continue painting my self-portraits throughout my life. I find it fascinating to think about how, over time, they will not only reflect my physical appearance and ageing but also capture the evolution of my inner feelings and personal growth. Self-portraiture is not only a way to explore my own identity but also to document the continuous transformation of my life and art.
The Amaryllis exhibition is described as a visual narrative of your inner transformation. How do you translate psychological and emotional shifts into visual language, and what challenges arise in making the personal universally relatable?
Over the 9 years I’ve spent creating it, so much has changed in my life. The exhibition depicts my journey from a naive young boy to growing up into a rational man with his feet firmly on the ground, but who never stops dreaming. But when I look back on my career, the most meaningful experience for me is simply that I never stopped painting. I have been working on my artistic career for over thirteen years; not much has really changed during this time; several successes have rather been replaced by rejections. I got to the point where I thought about ending my artistic career, but over time, I realized that I couldn’t live without art. Art is part of my personality and my life, if I stopped, a large part of myself would cease to exist.
In What It Feels Like for a Girl, you collaborated closely with your models, incorporating their stories and perspectives. How did these collaborations influence your creative process and the final artworks?
Women played an important role in my life, when I was little, I had more friends and I understand my whole life so far more with women. I have always taken women as muses that inspire me not only in an artistic career but also in my personal life. I admire their way of thinking and looking at the world. During my life so far, I have met several exceptional women who have strongly influenced and supported me in my decisions. For these reasons, I dedicate my new exhibition mainly to them. Without them none of the paintings would ever have been created, it is a collaboration between the painter and the model
This series tackles complex social issues such as women’s rights, LGBTQ+ identity, and racism. What drew you to these themes, and what responsibilities do you feel as an artist when addressing such pressing topics?
As a gay man, I experienced bullying and discrimination growing up simply for being who I am. Those experiences left a deep mark on me and made me especially sensitive to issues around identity, inequality, and injustice. That’s why themes like women’s rights, LGBTQ+ identity, and racism are very close to my heart. I feel a strong responsibility as an artist to give space to these stories—stories that matter, that deserve to be seen and heard. Through my paintings, I try to reflect these realities and share them with viewers in a way that sparks thought, empathy, and maybe even change.
Your work often blurs the line between the personal and the political. How do you balance your own experiences and emotions with the broader narratives you wish to communicate?
To be honest, I don’t really see a strict line between the personal and the political. For me, they often go hand in hand. When I create, I naturally draw from my own experiences and emotions—but many of those are connected to broader social themes. I don’t actively try to balance the two; it just happens organically. If something feels true and important to express, I follow that instinct, whether it’s deeply personal or reflective of a larger issue.
Tattooing is a unique medium in that it literally becomes part of someone’s body. How does working as a tattoo artist inform your approach to painting, and vice versa?
In my life, painting has always been my first priority. It’s the medium where I feel I can express myself most freely and creatively, without limitations. Painting allows me to explore my ideas and push boundaries, and it remains my primary form of artistic expression. However, as any artist knows, there comes a point where you’ve explored various techniques—from abstraction and dream art to realism—and you feel the need to keep evolving, to try something new. That’s when I turned to tattooing. With tattooing, the focus shifts more towards the client’s needs and desires. I take great care to make sure they are happy with the final design. Balancing both allows me to expand my creative horizons while still maintaining my passion for painting. The two forms of expression complement each other in different ways, and I find value in both.
Both your self-portraits and collaborative works explore transformation—whether personal or societal. Why do you think transformation is such a recurring motif in your art, and how do you hope it resonates with viewers?
I believe that’s what life is really about—transformation. Not giving up, having discipline, staying true to yourself and your dreams, and getting back on your feet every time you fall. That journey of growth and resilience is something I try to express through my work. I hope my paintings can serve as a source of inspiration for viewers, or maybe even offer comfort or strength to someone who’s going through a difficult time in their own life.
You mentioned an interest in curatorship and how art communicates with its audience. How has curating or thinking like a curator influenced the way you present your own work?
I basically act as my own curator, which can be quite challenging at times. To be honest, I find today’s world of open calls and organizing exhibitions a bit disheartening—it often feels like it’s more about money than actual talent. That’s why, when I step into the role of curator for my own work, I try to distance myself from my artistic soul and look at things more strategically, almost from a marketing perspective. It’s not always easy, but it helps me plan and present my work in a way that reaches people while staying true to my vision.
Your exhibitions invite viewers to reflect on their own lives and identities. What kind of emotional or intellectual response do you hope to provoke, and how do you measure the impact of your work?
I don’t expect viewers to feel or think a specific thing—I just want them to feel something. Whether it’s a sense of recognition, discomfort, hope, or even just a moment of stillness, I hope my work opens a space for personal reflection. If someone leaves the exhibition thinking more deeply about their own story, identity, or emotions, then I feel I’ve done my job. I don’t really measure impact in numbers or likes—it’s in the quiet conversations after a show, a message from someone who connected with a piece, or just seeing someone stop and really look. That’s when I knew the work reached someone.
Looking ahead, are there new themes, mediums, or collaborations you’re eager to explore? How do you envision your practice evolving over the next few years, especially as you continue to navigate both painting and tattooing?
In the coming years, I plan to focus mainly on painting. Next year, I’m preparing several exhibitions in my home country, the Czech Republic. That’s something very personal and also quite emotional for me, because it’s incredibly difficult to secure exhibitions in galleries there. It will also mark ten years since my last solo exhibition in the Czech Republic, so returning now feels both exciting and deeply meaningful. I’m currently working on a full exhibition of my abstract works—something I’ve been wanting to present as a unified, complete series. I’m also developing another exhibition, but the concept is still evolving at this stage. Alongside that, I plan to continue painting my self-portraits. However, moving forward, my own image will play a smaller role visually—more like a subtle presence in the background—while the storytelling and color composition will take the lead. I want to connect the portraits more strongly through narrative and palette, creating a deeper emotional arc. My next major self-portrait exhibition will be when I turn 40, which I think will be just as fascinating and revealing as my current show, Amaryllis, which reflects on ten years of my life. That body of work captures my transformation, my emotional development, and personal memories—and I see it as a deeply intimate document of growth. I also plan to continue promoting my three finished exhibitions, which I believe represent an important step in my artistic journey.
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Images – Self-portrait, oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
The Power of Courage (Beautiful that way), oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Descensum (Hope), oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
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