Jana Sterbak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jana Sterbak
Born	1955 (age 69–70) Prague, Czechoslovakia
Nationality	Czech-Canadian
Education	Concordia University
Awards	1991 - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship 1993 - Prix Antoine Guichard, Fondation Casino (France) 1995 - Prix Ozias-Leduc 2012 - Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts 2017 - Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas

Jana Sterbak (Jana Štěrbáková) is a famous artist. She was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Today, she is a Canadian citizen. She creates art using many different types of materials and methods. This makes her a multidisciplinary artist.

Life and Artworks

Jana Sterbak studied art at Concordia University. She learned about film history and painting there. Later, she studied art history at the University of Toronto and New York University. But she decided to stop her studies. She wanted to focus completely on making her own art.

Her art often mixes different forms. She uses photography, film, and video in her installations. An installation is a type of art that fills a space. It often includes many different objects.

Early Career and Exhibitions

In the 1990s, Jana Sterbak moved to Paris. She taught art at a famous school there. When she was 36, a big show of her art opened. It was called a retrospective. This means it looked back at her work over many years. The show was held at the National Gallery of Canada. It later traveled to Boston and San Diego.

Her art became known in Europe around 1990. Her work was chosen for the Venice Biennale. This is a very important international art show. After that, she had many solo shows. In 1992, her art was shown at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark. It was also shown at the MoMA in New York. One of her well-known installations, Sisyphus, was part of these shows.

Artistic Themes and Materials

Jana Sterbak's art often explores big questions. She looks at how different societies connect. She also thinks about human conflicts. Her art shows the difference between private and public life. It also explores freedom and dependence.

Her artworks are both poetic and political. They are carefully planned. She uses everyday materials in surprising ways. She also connects her art to ideas from myths, books, and philosophy.

Jana Sterbak often uses materials that change over time. These are called ephemeral materials. For example, she used ice to make chairs in her work Dissolution-Auditorium. The ice slowly melted away. This showed how things can change or disappear.

She also created a very famous artwork called Vanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorexic. This dress was made from pieces of meat. It made people think about how society views women. It also made them think about how we treat our bodies. This artwork was a powerful way to show social and physical ideas.

Exploring Form and Function

Jana Sterbak's art is special because of its form and function. She often makes objects that look familiar. These might be furniture or clothing. But she uses unusual materials for them. This gives the artwork a new meaning.

She uses many different materials. Some are strong and lasting, like metal wire. Others are organic and change, like bread, cake, chocolate, or meat. These materials make us think about food and how things decay.

For example, in 1989, she showed works about furniture and dresses. These are often seen as things for women. She wanted to challenge these ideas. She made a bed with pillows that had words like "Disease" and "Greed." She also made a dress from electric wire. It was called “I Want You To Feel the Way I Do… (The Dress).” These works made people think about comfort and control.

In 1992, she created “Catacombs.” For this, she made bones from solid chocolate. This made a sweet, edible skeleton. In 1997, she made a "bread bed" and a "cake stool." These artworks used food to make us think about life and comfort. She also made an armchair from raw meat called “Chair Apollinaire” in 1996. These pieces make us question what we value. They show how precious and fleeting life can be.

Later Works and Recognition

In the early 2000s, she made two video installations. One represented Canada at the 2003 Venice Biennale. The other, Waiting for High Water, was filmed in Venice. It showed the city during a flood. This video was shown at the Prague Biennale in 2005. It became her most shown video artwork.

In 2012, Jana Sterbak received a Governor General's Award. This is a very important award in Canada for visual and media arts. In 2017, she won the Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas in Quebec.

Awards

• 1991: Guggenheim Fellowship, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, United States
• 1993: Prix Antoine Guichard, Foundation Casino, Musée de Saint-Étienne, France (now discontinued)
• 1993: Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council
• 1996: Prix Ozias Leduc, Fondation Émile-Nelligan, Montreal
• 2012: Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts, Canada
• 2017: Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas, Québec

See also

In Spanish: Jana Sterbak para niños