There’s something incredibly dynamic about the way this image struggles to stay within the confuse of the frame, wrestling with the restrictions of the canvas just as the subjects’ bodies wrestle against one another. Created by Czech artist Vojtěch Kovařík, it exemplifies their approach to presenting the human body, which uses bulges, disorientating angles and often monumental forms inspired by those from Greek Mythology, classical literature and modern gym-bro culture. Hulking yet vulnerable in their sparsely drawn facial expressions, the leotard-sporting fighters could be seen to be as much to be in a loving embrace as a combative one. As such, the title of the artist’s debut UK solo is fittingly artist Lovers and Fighters. The work shows that love has hard edges, too; it’s about a constant choreography of negotiating another person’s physical being alongside your own. The show runs until 6 July at Public Gallery in East London.
