KarelAdamus
Biography
Karel Adamus (1943, in Plzeň, Czech Republic) is a Czech visual artist and poet notable for his contributions to experimental and visual poetry. Initially exploring conventional literary forms, Adamus shifted toward visual poetry in the late 1960s, focusing on words as graphic and symbolic elements rather than purely textual. His artistic output includes several innovative series. In the "Cigarette Poems" (1969–1970), Adamus employed burning paper to symbolize impermanence and transformation. His "Mobile Poems" (1970–1971) introduced motion into poetic structures, encouraging viewer interaction and dynamic engagement. In the "Poems of the Score" series (1973–1976), Adamus merged visual art with musical notation, utilizing minimalist approaches to blur distinctions between artistic disciplines. His "Poems of Objects and Object Poems" (1971–2002), influenced by Jiří Kolář and Dadaism, featured visually compelling assemblages and object-based creations rich in metaphor and playfulness. Lastly, his "Wind Poems" (1983–2007) captured natural environmental forces, created by letting wind-driven paper movements guide his artistic tools. Adamus has also ventured into literary prose, publishing a collection of short stories inspired by Eastern philosophical traditions, titled Po dně a podněžníci ("Along the Bottom and Bottom Dwellers"). Currently residing and working in Třinec, Czech Republic, Karel Adamus remains an influential figure in conceptual art and visual poetry, continuously exploring the intersection of textual meaning and visual representation.
