A wish is granted, and a legacy lives on

BEFORE his sudden death in 2018, abstract surrealist Paul Vlcek had a deeply held dream to have his paintings hung in the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

Beyond the never seen, the latest show in the Gallery’s Backspace, honours and grants that wish, presenting many of his pieces alongside the detailed aquarelle and charcoal works of his daughter, fellow visual artist Kate Vlcek.

“In this exhibition, I wanted to learn from my father’s techniques, and therapeutic approaches, to try and incorporate some of that into the new pieces I’ve created, and explore my own grieving process after losing him,” she said.

“His approach was a lot more loose, experimental, and creative, and I decided to go into the studio with that mindset with a blank slate, letting my emotions and ideas come into that space and flow out again, starting with charcoal scribbles.

“I like the idea that part of his legacy is his own art that he’s created, but also part of his legacy is me, another artist that he’s brought into this world as well, so it continues on,” she said.

Vlcek said the opportunity to exhibit her work at the Gallery is a special one to treasure.

She’s been visiting the institution throughout her entire life, and now relishes the chance to visit with her nieces.

“They love it, so it will be great for them to see my work here, get a greater understanding of what it means to have an artist in the family, and make that connection close to home.

“It’s an honour to have our work in this amazing space and extra special because it’s what dad wanted,” she said.

“This exhibition, and dad’s work, shows that even if your life has been very difficult, you can still leave the world a more beautiful place than you found it.”

Beyond the never seen will be presented until Sunday, 22 May.