Martin Michael Stiltenn
“He was born on August 21, 1974, in Moravská Třebová. As a completely self-taught artist, he has been deeply devoted to drawing since childhood, though he never attended an art school. He originally trained in the now-defunct craft of mother-of-pearl button making. Before turning to art full-time, he worked a variety of blue-collar jobs.”
At a relatively young age, he happened to watch Jan Švankmajer’s short film The Apartment and was completely spellbound. This experience fully awakened his innate affinity for the fantastic, the bizarre, the uncanny, and everything that deviates from the norm. This inner world was further amplified by a magazine article on Surrealism, and his fascination was permanently solidified upon discovering photographs of paintings by Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and Yves Tanguy. These intense encounters became his primary, defining influences—the catalyst through which he discovered his own creative continent.
He is undoubtedly a solitary figure with an remarkably wide creative scope, encompassing painting, objects, sculpture, collage, drawing, and assemblage, alongside original art jewelry crafted from genuine, natural mother-of-pearl. Yet his artistic expression does not end there; it extends into authorial writing, automatic drawing, and, crucially, cinema as a vital medium. Moving through multiple disciplines, he could be described as a representative of contemporary Informel, even though he rejects and dislikes any form of categorization.
His work—often raw and harrowing—contains an elusive quality that evokes a deep sense of unease. He introduces strange objects and fetishes into our world, infused with elements of animism, dreamlike horror, the absurd, biting humor, and sarcasm. Ancient machines rise from the landscapes of his imagination, buried beneath layers of time, sleeping and dreaming their Machine Dreams. Alongside them are the intricate mechanical organisms of Post-Apocalyptic Brides pulled from timelessness like totemic relics of a distant future… Though frequently ominous at first glance, they simultaneously evoke a strange, gentle terror. It is his own private cult, shrouded in mystery and enigma. The viewer is often left with the uncanny sensation that the artwork is actively observing them, peering into the very depths of their being.
Absurdity and imagination serve as the core pillars of his diverse work, manifesting in endless forms that often push past the boundaries of comprehension. This entire universe is seasoned with a sharp, cynical, and biting humor. His inspiration flows not only from dreams or childhood memories but also from everyday life—events to which he considers himself a “mere witness”. In his own words, these situations contain “the secret face of things and events, publicly exposed and yet perfectly hidden.” Completely ignoring commercial styles and fleeting fashion trends, he maintains:
“Artistic creation is, above all, freedom, and one must always stand outside the mainstream forces that dictate trends. Each of us carries that famous, mysterious object of desire within. But it is up to the individual whether they can acknowledge and embrace it as their own, regardless of the opinions and attitudes of others.”
Prof. J. Prokop
Photo: Author’s archive