Katka Hubacek is a Czech-Canadian artist based in Ontario. Her art practice involves exploring sculpture, mixed media, drawing, as well as oil and acrylic painting.
She hold a diploma from the National Theatre School of Canada as a set and costume designer. Subsequently, she pursued a Costume Studies Diploma at Dalhousie University in Halifax to specialize in drafting and sewing costumes. Over a span of 10 years, she worked in film, TV, theater, and dance. Returning to her first love of painting, Katka's journey came full circle with the completion of her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia University.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My primary medium is oil and acrylic paint on canvas. Layering gentle washes, bold strokes, and clear renderings, my work explores the roles that define, bind, and hold women back – how women are limited by society’s construction of womanhood and how we limit ourselves within those constraints. Many of my paintings explore the struggle of women who are also mothers and our search for fulfillment. In my case, becoming a mother created conflict in my identity: can I be both woman-as-mother, who is a selfless giver, and woman-as-artist, who is a self-centered creator? In my paintings, female forms are bathed with soft brushstrokes and washes to convey a sense of emotion and tenderness. These are interrupted by bold colours, harsh tones, and sharp brush work. My use of opposing techniques, palettes and styles symbolizes the conflict I see and feel in contemporary ideas of womanhood/motherhood – the pressure to be gentle yet bold, fragile yet strong, self-assured yet selfless. Through painting, I seek to reveal the complexities of being a woman and mother, to give voice to her struggles, where tenderness and softness collide with violence and darkness.