Barbora Trnková ~ Index ~ CV

MgA. Barbora Trnková, Ph.D.

barboratrnkv84(at)gmail.com, xvtrnkova(at)ffa.vutbr.cz

barboratrnkova.cz, screensaver.gallery, metazoa.org, datatata.info, ig: barbora.trnka

Brno, Czech Republic

portfolio DOC CJ

portfolio DOC EN

I am an artist, photographer, art researcher, and curator. As a photographer, I operate on the premise that a photo is not a depiction of reality but rather an indication of how the world was interpreted through used technological tools. Digital tools, in the same way, are complex black boxes for reproducing embedded meta-programs—these hidden interpretations of the world made by dominant (human) point of view. I present a glitch feminist intersectional perspective with a focus on the viewpoint of the survivor. The perspective of dehumanized others can be likened to a photograph, presenting an entirely different image of the world compared to one taken from the viewpoint of the dominant subject. I perceive AI as a detector of the outcomes of imagination rooted in dominant subjectivity. It provides an opportunity to reconsider these perspectives, allowing the 'other' to enter on its own terms. My research to date has culminated in the publication The Look of the Internalized Machine Gaze.

Nowadays, I'm focusing on differentiating between the erotic and the pornographic in our digitally mediated world, drawing inspiration from Audre Lorde's essay 'Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power'. Illustrations: Your Addiction Is The Message, The Look of Internalised Machine Gaze.

Some of my exhibition art projects include AI: All Idiots, Darkside Moonwalker, Cyanotype, Showcase I, II, Please Wait!
My published contributions include chapters in the books Black Box Book and The Art of Screensaver.
Curatorial contribution include G99 DU Brno, MeetFactory, Prague City Gallery, ScreenSaverGallery, and panke.gallery in Berlin.
My achievements encompass the Rector's Award at VUT, representation in permanent collection (City Gallery Brno), and participation in several conferences (Humain, Cyberspace, Emorob).

Since 2010, I have collaborated with Tomáš Javůrek under the nickname "&" and on the platform metazoa.org. Our joint work mainly focuses on digital media and net art (with humor and self-irony), including projects such as apps Generation of Princesses, Like-Un-Like, Happy New War, Text-to-Speech, Black, AnnaMarie and bot for creating sets of stickers for Telegram messaging app Bastards.
We are the founders and curators (with Mary Meixner) of ScreenSaverGallery, a unique experimental exhibition space for digital art. Together, we conducted joint research on big data and visual art at datatata.info. In our roles as curators at ScreenSaverGallery, we collaboratively executed already mentioned participatory exhibition project "AI: All Idiots" at MeetFactory in Prague, exploring the intersection of art and artificial intelligence.

STUDY

2016-2023 Ph.D. Programme

Faculty of fine Arts, University of Technology Brno, CZ

Studio of Performance, prof. akad. soch. Tomáš Ruller

2010-2011 (Erasmus program)

Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milano, IT

Studio of New Media, Mauro Folci/Bruno Muzzolini/Domenico Quaranta

2006-2012

Faculty of fine Arts, University of Technology Brno, CZ

Studio of Body Design, doc. Mgr. Jana Preková / doc.Mgr.A Lenka Klodová Ph.D.

2005-2006

Faculty of Multimedia communication, The Tomas Bata University Zlin, CZ

Department of Advertising Photography, Mgr. Jaroslav Prokop

2001-2005

High school of Art and Design, Brno, CZ

Department of Graphic Design

AWARDS

2012 The Rector’s Award, BUT

CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE

2023 - curator of G99 gallery Brno Artist in Rezidence, Brno House of Art, CZ

2022 - Divination from the Night Sky Partially Veiled by Clouds, GHMP, Praha, CZ
2022 - It's in Your Hands, router.gallery, as a part of Transmediale & CTM Vorspiel 2022, Berlin, DE

2021 - Endless Doomscroller/Ben Grosser, 9:16 pm-galerie, Olomouc Museum of Art, PAF 2022

2021 - exhibition series App Art in Kontext Gallery, TIC Brno, CZ

2021 - exhibition AI: All Idiots in MeetFactory, Prague with ScreenSaverGallery team, CZ

2020 - team member of DIGITALIZATION of Vasulka Kitchen's program, Digital platform for art and education Brno Vašulka Kitchen. CZ

2012 - ongoing project - founder and co-curator (with Marie Meixner and Tomáš Javůrek)of net art gallery-like space ScreenSaverGallery

2012 - 2019 co-curator of Galerie Umakart, CZ

2016 - GIF (Grand Instant Fiction gallery and curatorial project) projections in LED screen (2x1,5m). GIF is an extension of Umakart gallery, LED screen is an extension of shop windows in city environment.

2016  router.gallery/DE

2018 - technical, curatorial and pedagogical work with students of Performance Studio at FaVU VUT Brno at CODEC Unleashing Screensaver (project Marie Meixner at SSG),Teachers College Columbia university New York + ScreenSaverGallery

2018 - 2019 - INHUMAN ART an online group exhibition

REPRESENTATION IN A PERMANENT COLLECTION

From modern to the present 1945 – 2013, Brno City Museum, CZ

ARTISTIC RESEARCH

Autoportrait of Nonhuman 2016-2023, This doctoral artistic-research explores the challenges posed by the cyborg metaphor's claimed transcendence of rationalistic dualities, revealing how mediated digital thinking hinders the perception of the non-human other. In line with glitch feminism, it highlights algorithmic biases as opportunities for identification and removal, introducing the category of the non-human other and suggesting a path towards autonomy for the other in the context of the distinction between pornographic and the erotic, and the concept of becoming. Alongside the creation of alternatives that disrupt dominant hegemony, a shift in focus towards subtractive strategies is suggested, acknowledging the uprising of the non-human within us, while suspending the transcendental subject in the same move. This addresses the issue of preserving the subject, which interprets the other.

Datatata 2018-2021 core team member of Decentralised Big Data Collection, Analysis, Visualisation and Interpretation in Art Practice project

(Faculty of Fine Arts at Brno University of Technology, supported by Technology Agency of the Czech Republic)
check: Datatata Conference, and Datatata Conference Proceedings

SELECTED WORKS of & (Barbora Trnková & Tomáš Javůrek)

All Idiots/2021

Generation of Bastards 1, 2, /2020

Play the Life/2019, app photo documentation

Sweet Dreams/2019 group performance, video documentation

Like Un Like/2019 app, curatorial text from Marika Svobodova, Vašulka Kitchen Brno

ProblemGenerator/2017 app

ChatShow/2016 chatbots, Chat the show! Meet our ArtBots!: Alžběta Bačíková, Ivars Gravlejs, Marta Fišerová, Lenka Klodová, Karolína Kohoutková, (c) merry, Kateřina Olivová, Martina Růžičková, Matěj Smetana, Anita Somrová

TextToSpeech/2015 app, “human based text to speech engine”

A video documentation (16:32) about the performance of the app is here: TextToSpeech - opening the exhibition in OFF/format gallery, Brno

Obscure motif/2015 app

foobar/2015, Site specific AR mobile app. A video documentation (2:10) here: foobar 

Happy New War/2014–now app

ScreenSaverGallery/2013–now, Across the artistic practice we can meet art pieces that somehow act or remind (visually or conceptually) screen savers. At the same time we have such art, which is not thought to be shown in the common galleries, it has to be modified into some type of references or records… more

AnnaMarie/2012–now app

Mac, Windows, Android (BETA)

AnnaMarie works as a camera. The user can take a picture, but the received picture is different from the taken one. The received picture comes from one of the previous user of AnnaMarie app. Originally developed for PAF Rewind: Net Art section.

Generation of the Princesses/2011, 2014 

The web tool for generating the icons – madonnas – princesses – portraits.

Black/2012, 2014, this project adopts the principle of prayer through a Buddhist mill and transfers it to the context of contemporary digital technology. The Black project consists of three parts:
web-interface to write down the prayer, TOOL

distribution of the lovely apps with the hidden function of praying at the background, APPS 

web-app to hear and download some parts of written prayers, VOICE

The name and the base of BLACK comes from the Vilém Flusser’s Black Box idea. (An Input - written prayers, Output - the overview and the Black Box - applications and VOICE.)

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

Pixels and Poetics, ČC London, ČC Paris, ČC Belgrade, ČC New York 2026–2027

Presently – A Cross-section of Brno´s Secondary School of Art and Design, Brno House of Arts, 2025

• M/Other Earth, Viadukt, Prague, 2025
  
  

• Floriography, Galerie Entrance, Prague, 2024
  
  

• Garden of Internalized Gaze, Gallery of the City of Třinec, 2024
  
  

• Faces Emerge from the Virtual Sky, Sam83 Gallery, Česká Bříza, 2024
  
  

• Signals: What Doesn’t Kill Me Makes Me Stronger, Y: Survive!, Divadlo XY, Prague, 2023
  
  

On the Second Thought, Galerie Jelení, Prague, 2022–23

Your Addiction is the Message, ARTROOMS MORAVANY 5: Ako vo sně, Moravany, 2023, SK

Kyanotypie, Showcase II, On the second Thought, Galerie Jelení, 2022-23, CZ

Slotmachine, Library AVU, CZ 2022 

Darkside Moonwalker - ScreenSaverGallery, online, 2022 

Kombinace citlivostí - Galerie města Blanska, Blansko, 2022 (group exhibition), 2022 CZ

AI: All Idiots in MeetFactory, Prague with ScreenSaverGallery team, and Jana Bernartová, Vilém Duha, Andreas Gajdošík, Aimee Zia Hasan, Vladimír Havlík, Tomáš Javůrek, Marie Meixnerová, Petr Racek, Matěj Smetana, Petra Ševců, Michal Škapa, Kamil Jeřábek, Jaromír Pražák, Jan Tomšů, Jan Vítek, 2021, CZ

Generation of Bastards 1, 2 / Telegram residency see the short videodocumantation of the work, online, 2020

Play the Life / ScreenSaverGallery, online

Sweet Dreams (group performance) with Marina Abramovič po sebe neupratuje + Performance Studio FaVU VUT, Brno, Center for New Media Art, Vašulka Kitchen Brno, CZ, 2019

Like Un Like https://datatata.info/like-un-like/, Burrow, the pavilon of the The Wrong Biennale, Online, 2019

Like Un Like https://datatata.info/like-un-like/, Center for New Media Art, Vašulka Kitchen Brno, CZE, 2019

ChatShow, On Collaborations, Macy Art Gallery Exhibitions, Columbia university New York, NY, USA, 2018

Kamila3, City Gallery of Třinec, Třinec, CZE 2018

Unleashing Screensaver(curatorial project Marie Meixner), Teachers College Columbia university New York + ScreenSaverGallery, USA, 2018

Body, Spirit, Revolt: Performance, Photography, Concept (Contemporary Art from Central Europe), Gama Gallery, Istanbul, TR, 2018

Love me for free, The Wrong Biennale, Spam Catering Pavilon, online, 2017

ChatShow, Art Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2017

Nice Shot, Etc. Gallery, Praha, CZ, 2017

ProblemGenerator®, Industra Art Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2017

AnnaMarie for Leap second, http://leapsecond.online/, online, 2017

ChatShow, Klubovna Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2017

ChatShow, Router Gallery, Berlin, DE, 2016

HeavyMetal, MakeMake, CZE , 2016

Svitava (Divý Tvor), web-galery ATD, online, 2016

Pololoader, Vitrínka Deniska, Olomouc, CZ, 2015

Temný motif, Galerie Krása, Kino Art, Brno, CZ, 2015

TextToSpeech, Offformat Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2015

foobar, Curriculum vitae, Ars Gallery, Brno, CZE, 2015

Globální Struktura Vesmíru (e-book Jan Mazanc), MakeMake, Brno, CZ, 2015

HappyNewWar (web based happening), Galerie Krása, Kino Art, Brno,CZ, 2014

Click To Save Image, web-gallery Studio of Body Design, CZE, 2014

BlackVoice (web based happening), Alotrium (Expanded performance), Galerie TIC, Brno, CZ, 2014

ScreenSaverGallery, PAF-Festival of Film Animation and Contemporary Art 2013, Olomouc, CZ, 2013

ScreenSaverGallery, online, 2013

Trust to the Universe, Kraj-jinné meze, The City Gallery of Blansko, Blansko, CZ, 2013

Open Goal, Anne Frank Memorial Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2013

Monument, Na houby/forJohn Cage, Cella Gallery, Opava, CZ, 2012

AnnaMarie, PAF 2012, Olomouc, CZ, 2012

Morning Meeting, The Opava House of Arts, Opava, CZ, 2012

Ráno raníčko panna vstala II, Androgynekologie, VŠUP Praha UM Gallery, Praha, CZ, 2012

Preyer-Speaker, Rund Licht, D9 Gallery, České Budějovice, CZ, 2012

Motivo Astratto (installation), Díra výstavní gallery, Chrudim, CZ, 2011

Romance (video), PLUGIN, videoarte come comunicazione, Brescia, Italy, CZ, 2011

Generace Princezen (action), Sun Wu Kunhg festival, Starý Mlýn, Červeněves, CZ, 2011

Generace Princezen (action), Floating face of FaVU, Meet Factory, Praha, CZ, 2011

Romance (video), Floating face of FaVU, Meet Factory, Praha, CZ, 2011

Romance (video)- remake of film "Zidane: portrét 21. stol." od Gordona a Parrena, Kino Voyer, The Brno House of Arts, Brno, CZ, 2011

Ráno raníčko panna vstala, Stovka za hodinu, Divus Gallery Praha, CZ, 2011

LaskujMe! (installation and happening), Terror, Aula Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2011

Letní motiv (side, time specific happening), Umakart Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2010

Houba (side specific installation), Kuřata šedá díra, Zbrojovka Půl, Brno, CZ, 2010

Přednáška o fotografii (happening), Pecha Kucha, Těchobuz, CZ, 2010

Zimní motiv (side, time specific installation), Umakart Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2010

In Fire (installation), Přistiženi v ohni, Starý Pivovar Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2010

Čekání (computer game), Secunda Materia, Kunstatska -3 Gallery, Brno, CZ, 2009

Incident (situation, text), Kontejnery Umeni, Festival Next Wave, Praha, CZ, 2009

Sekvence (video), Kontejnery Umění, Sochy v Ulicích, The Brno House of Arts, Brno, CZ, 2009

CONFERENCE PAPERS:

• Photos, AI, and the Truth in Between, panel discussion, ČC London, 2026
  
  

• RE-CONNECT ART: Revealing, Prague, 2024
  
  

• THE FUTURE OF LIVING WITH AI, Brussels, 2023
  
  

Autoportrait of the Nonhuman, Look of Internalised Machine Gaze, EMOROB, Masaryk University Brno, 2023

RE-CONNECT ART, Umělá inteligence a kreativita, Divadlo X10, Praha, 2023

AI: All Idiots, CURATING ONLINE: Cultural Heritage, Creativity and the Summer of Artificial Intelligence, Media Art Live Archive, Dům umění města Brna, 2021

Multicoloured Monochrome, Doctoral Conference: Art as research, research as art, Department of Art Education of the Masaryk University in Brno, 2019, CZ

SelfAlgoritmization, Doctoral Conference FaVU VUT Brno, Post Fake Turn, 2017, CZ

Do You Want to Continue?, International Intuition Conference, Brno, 2015

BIBLIOGRAPHY and SELECTED MEDIAMONITORING:

Barbora Trnková. The Look of the Internalized Machine Gaze. Brno: FaVU VUT; Vašulka Kitchen Brno, 2025. 102 s. ISBN 978-80-214-6381-3. ISBN 978-80-908907-2-5.

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, AI: All Idiots, The Black Box Book. Archives and Curatorship in the Age of Transformation of Art Institutions, 2022 (ed. HORÁKOVÁ, KUPKOVÁ, SZŰCSOVÁ) 

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „AI: All Idiots“, MF Gallery Reader, MeetFactory, o. p. s., 2022, online katalog: galleryreader.com/exhibition/ai-all-idiots 

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „Aparáty péče“, Věštění z noční oblohy částečně zakryté mraky: role fotografie v postmediální době, Galerie hlavního města Prahy, 2022. ISBN 978-80-7010-181-0. 

Tomáš JAVŮREK, Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „The Twilight of Lava-Lamps or The Meaning of the Future of Screensaver Gallery“, Marie MEIXNEROVÁ (eds.), The Art of Screensaver. Paf Edition. Olomouc: PAF, z.s., 2020-22. ISBN: 978-80-214-5909-0. 

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „Digital Technology and the Critical Aspect in Art“, Marie MEIXNEROVÁ (eds.), The Art of Screensaver. Paf Edition. Olomouc: PAF, z.s., 2020-22. ISBN: 978-80-214-5909-0. 

Marie MEIXNEROVÁ, Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „Computer Screensavers - Non-productive Spaces?“ in Marie MEIXNEROVÁ; The Art of Screensaver. Paf Edition. Olomouc: PAF, z.s., 2020-22. ISBN: 978-80-214-5909-0. 

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „Plavání dokola v bazénu“, Artalk, online, 2020 

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, Digitální technologie a kritický aspekt v umění, sborník z konference Umění jako výzkum, výzkum jako umění, KVV MU, Brno, 2019, ISBN 978-80-210-9770-4

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „Sebealgoritmizace“, sborník z konference Post Fake Turn. Brno, FaVU VUT, 2017, ISBN 978-80-214-5587-0. 

Tomáš JAVŮREK, Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „Přejete si pokračovat?“ DE FELICE Jennifer (eds.), Intuice, FAVU VUT Brno, 2018 

Barbora TRNKOVÁ, „Nonhuman Art“, Marie MEIXNEROVÁ (eds.) 17. Festival of Film Animation and Contemporary Art: PAF Olomouc Lapsus. 2018, ISBN 978-80-87662-22-9.

SZŰCSOVÁ, Monika. Umelecký výskum dát ako revízia súčasnej digitálnej kultúry. Artalk.cz: Recenze [online]. 6.12.2019

FRANC, Adam. ROZHOVOR O SCREENSAVERGALLERY A PROJEKTU UNLEASHING SCREENSAVER. JOINME: Journal of Interactive Media [online]. Brno: TIM MU, 2019, 6.12.2019

CAPOVÁ, Erika. KONFERENCIA DATATATA NEBOLA LEN O DÁTACH, ALE HLAVNE O ĽUĎOCH... JOINME: Journal of Interactive Media [online]. Brno: TIM MUNI, 2019

SVOBODOVÁ, Marika. Výstava Líbí-Ne-Líbí Datatata team Barbora Trnková & Tomáš Javůrek, Martin Toldy [online]. Brno, 2019,

team of authors c. VK. Datatata, Barbora Trnková & Tomáš Javůrek. Year Book [online]. 1. Brno: Centre New Media Arts, Vašulka Kitchen Brno, s. z., 2019, s. 27

et all Vašulka Kitchen Brno. Projekt Datatata: Barbora Trnková & Tomáš Javůrek. 1. Brno: Centrum pro nová média Vašulka Kitchen Brno, s. z., 2019. ISBN 978 80 907763 0 2.

&/Play the Life ve Screen Saver Gallery: &/Play the Life / Screen Saver Gallery / on-line galerie ve spořičích obrazovek / 17.12. – 31. 12. 2019. In: Artalk.cz: FOTO REPORT

TRNKOVÁ, Barbora. Sakrowski v on-line galerii ScreenSaverGallery: Sakrowski /webwork as web.pilgrimage / ScreenSaverGallery / 7. 5. – 1. 9. 2019. In: Artalk.cz: FOTO REPORT

TRNKOVÁ, Barbora a Marie MEIXNEROVÁ. Nonhuman Art. 17. Festival of Film Animation and Contemporary Art: PAF Olomouc Lapsus. Olomouc: Paf, 2018, 17(1), 87. ISSN ISBN 978-80-87662-22-9.

Barbora Trnková a Tomáš Javůrek v Třinci: & (Barbora Trnková a Tomáš Javůrek) / Kamila 3 / Galerie města Třince / Třinec / 15. 6. – 20. 8. 2018. In: Artalk.cz: FOTO REPORT. 2018

BAČÍKOVÁ, A. BIERHANZL, J CENEK, F. CSÉFALVAY, A. HORÁKOVÁ, J. HRONČEKOVÁ, I. JAVŮREK, T. LAURELLI, C. MRVA, J. PAESMANS, D. SCHMIEG, S. SZUCSOVÁ, M. TRNKOVÁ, B. Post Fake Turn. Brno 2017. ISBN 978-80-214-5587-0.

DEFELICE, J. H. Intuice. Fakulta výtvarných umění VUT. Brno 2017.

MEIXNEROVÁ, Marie. Tomáš Javůrek a Barbora Trnková: O wi-fi výstavách & digitálním umění. Flash Art: Czech & Slovak Edition. 2017, X(42).

available online [cit.: 8.8.2018]

RIATOVÁ, Z. UMA Audioguide, Galerie Etc.: Nice Shot &(Barbora Trnková, Tomáš Javůrek)SOUNDCLOUD, 2017 [online, cit: 8.8.2018]:

Barbora Trnková a Tomáš Javůrek v galerii etc.: & (Barbora Trnková & Tomáš Javůrek) / Nice Shot / Kurátorky: Alžběta Bačíková a Anna Remešová / etc. galerie / Praha / 3. – 28. 5. 2017. In: Artalk.cz: FOTO REPORT. 2017