Katerina Bohac was born in Caracas Venezuela, she is a charismatic Czech- Venezuelan artist living in Toronto since August 2022. She considers herself a worldwide citizen. With Latin America and Czech ancestors.
I lived in Venezuela part of my life. My mother was Venezuelan, and my father was Czech. My Czech name had motivated me to traveled and lived in the Czech Republic looking for my family roots, I got to know the culture and the language.
In 2004 I had the opportunity to work with the Czech-Venezuelan association in Caracas. We were presenting and propagating Czech culture which got me interested in knowing and learning Czech language. In 2005 thanks to the grants given by the Czech Ministry of External Affairs I had the chance to attend the summer course in Dobruska. That was my first visit of the Czech Republic and from that moment I knew I would like to live in that country. In 2007 I moved to the Czech Republic. It was a world changing for me, many events and opportunities happened there. I opened an Art Gallery and studio, and I kept it until 2020 when Covid hits.
In that year I met my life partner and we decided to start a new life, I moved with him to Abu Dhabi in UAE and enjoyed teaching and learning in a different young culture. This year we moved to Toronto, Canada and I am here developing a new ceramic artwork.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Katerina does paintings, ceramics, and installations. Ceramics allows her to express her ideas in three dimensions, relief and with color experimentation. She gets inspiration from her surroundings. In Venezuela, she painted tropical fauna and flora and magical figuration. In the Czech Republic, she got inspired by city towers and architecture. She has been working on figurations for many years, her last paintings were inspired by Women of the World, a series of several artworks highlighting the strength and value of earthly experience.
These women are examples of life and fulfillment. Women who have taken care of their culture, their tribes, and their beliefs, who have kept their traditions alive, and who have helped to improve humanity in various ways and with multiple contributions.
One of the women who has been a key source of inspiration for this project undertaken by the artist, is undoubtedly the spiritual leader, “Amma” Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi from India. Her love and compassion for people have led to the creation of unique works to help her community.
Mystery (Yemayá) In Yoruba culture, she is a female orisha, she is the deity of salty waters. She is the orisha of motherhood. She is the keeper of all riches. Waste is her treasure. What is lost can be regained with the help of Yemayá.
The Chinese bride represents The characteristic of Chinese weddings is that the Chinese marry in red and with that color they celebrate the new family's success, prosperity, fidelity and happiness. That is why the Chinese bride is a pure, young woman, with an illusion of life.
Flowers in the head is a painting that I painted as a tribute to the Brazilian-Venezuelan dancer Carmen Miranda. It is a very jovial and happy painting with warm colors that remind us of the tropics. Carmen Miranda was a highly admired actress in the 1930s.
Light of hope in this painting I represented a young woman that believes in freedom. We, women, could study, work, and be independent. Hope is the feeling that must prevail over fear.
Cuban woman smoking Tobacco, Tobacco was used by the Mayans and Aztecs in religious rites, purification ceremonies, and as medicine to expel evil spirits. The Spanish discovered it in Cuba and spread its use throughout Europe. For a long time, Galenist doctors considered it an excellent remedy to expel sinful humor.
Brazilian woman with typical costume, These typical costumes of Brazil, reflect a greater degree the African influence, resulting from the arrival of the slaves in the eighteenth century. Just as it has influenced their cultural traits, it has also influenced their typical clothing. In this region, the most representative traditional attire is the Bahiana suit. The Bahianas are related to the candomblé religion, and their costumes are made with thick fabrics that add volume to the pieces.
Red Parrot is a beautiful bird from Amazonas, Brazil, and Venezuela, this parrot is painted with oil pastels on canvas and is fixed with a special varnish. Birds are part of my theme as they fly free in the sky and make our world stunning.
Flamingos are living free in a reserve in Dubai, there are thousands of birds moving, flying, and living together. Birds are part of my theme as they fly free in the sky and make our world stunning.
Katerina is working in her Toronto studio, developing a series of cubist vases and figurative ceramic sculptures. She was accepted by a jury to exhibit in TOAF62 at Nathan Square in July 2023. When you acquire an artwork from Katerina, you are getting a piece of the history and representation of our times.
