Bees, caterpillars, flowers—and, time and again, naked boys who confidently and secretively return the gaze of their viewers. The paintings of Andrej Dúbravský (born in 1987 in Nové Zámky, Slovakia) have something direct and untamed about them. In a way, it is palpable that they were created in idyllic natural surroundings and under an ample sky. Dúbravský, already one of Slovakia's best-known and most internationally successful artists, has set up his studio in the countryside near Bratislava. There, he not only paints, but also grows vegetables and keeps chickens. The fertile soil provides ample nourishment for ever-new motifs, which the artist captures in his typical dreamy, washed-out style.

Dúbravský's images seem like fleeting echoes of summer memories. But they also hint at the fragility of the natural balance in which humans, animals, and plants live. And they tell of the resistance inherent in every expression of diversity and sexual self-determination. As an openly queer artist, Dúbravský rubs some people the wrong way in conservative Slovakia. But even within the gay community, he questions prevailing ideals of slimness and athleticism, countering them with the appeal of larger bodies. Full of emotion and sensuality, Dúbravský's images convey an attitude to life characterized by openness, hospitality, and a very natural sex appeal.

Image: Seven pajama players on the blue sparkling beach, 2025, acrylic and oil pastel on canvas, 100 x 120 cm, courtesy DITTRICH & SCHLECHTRIEM, Berlin