APPLECORE

Hypha Gallery South Bank, 42 Southwark Bridge Rd, London, SE1 9EU

PV: Thursday, 3rd September 2026, 6 – 9pm
Open: 29th August – 11th September 2026, Thursday-Sunday 12pm-6pm. By appointment from 15th September -1st October.

Known for combining the technical mastery of Old Master painting with contemporary philosophical enquiry, Martinec is recognised as one of Europe’s leading figurative painters. His work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including the Royal Academy of Arts, the National Portrait Gallery, London, the National Gallery Prague, the National Museum in Stockholm and the National Gallery of Finland. He was awarded the prestigious BP Young Artist Award in 2007.

Ahead of APPLECORE, Martinec will unveil a major new work at the Jan Palach Memorial in the Czech Republic, where his painting of the death mask of Jan Palach will enter the memorial’s permanent collection on 21st August 2026. The commission commemorates one of the country’s most enduring symbols of resistance and reflects the artist’s ongoing engagement with history, memory and questions of truth.

At a time when artificial intelligence is transforming the creation and circulation of images, APPLECORE explores questions of originality, authorship and human creativity through one of art history’s oldest and most enduring symbols: the apple. Continuing ideas first developed in Cyberlemon, Martinec’s acclaimed 2025 exhibition at DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague, the new works bring together biblical imagery, still life traditions and contemporary technology to examine painting’s place in an increasingly digital world.

At the heart of APPLECORE is a major new body of paintings unveiled at Varvara Roza Galleries, where Martinec transforms familiar objects into complex and often unsettling compositions. Drawing on centuries of art history — from Renaissance painting to the tradition of nature morte — these works explore themes of knowledge, temptation, memory and transformation, while continuing the artist’s investigation into perception and the enduring role of painting. Ahead of the gallery exhibition, Martinec will create a monumental wall drawing live at Hypha Studios South Bank. Produced over six days and open to the public throughout its creation, the site-specific work offers visitors a rare opportunity to witness the artist’s meticulous process and provides a visual introduction to the ideas explored throughout APPLECORE.

Martinec comments: “APPLECORE continues ideas I began exploring in Cyberlemon, where fruit became a guide through the history of painting. ‘APPLECORE’ captures the moment before the Fall, when the apple remains untouched, just before Adam and Eve’s bite changes the course of human history. In the age of artificial intelligence, I return to this ancient image and ask what place these timeless stories ha ve in a world where technology is transforming our relationship with images, memory and creativity. At the same time, the apple can simply remain an apple: a quiet, beautiful object beyond symbolism.”

Though often described as a hyperrealist or photorealist, Martinec’s work resists easy classification. While rooted in extraordinary technical precision, his paintings combine imagery from diverse sources to create layered compositions that challenge assumptions about perception, memory and reality.

Alongside the exhibitions, Varvara Roza Galleries will present a programme of talks and events exploring the themes of APPLECORE and Martinec’s artistic practice.