Provenance: Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen.

The Czech artist Jiri Dokoupil has both a radical and uncompromising, but also a playful and at times childish, approach to his work as an artist. As an artistic chameleon and a true postmodernist, he uses freely of instruments and genres, and it is difficult to pinpoint the artist's distinctive features, since he – inspired by the Dadaist Marcel Duchamp – always deliberately avoids subjugating himself to a personal or broader style. The work we have up for auction – “Shower” from 1990 – can be seen as an expression of Dokoupil's experimental approach to art through, for instance, the use of various unconventional materials such as water, candles, fruit, rolling tires and even breast milk. The technique was developed by the artist in the late 80s, where he with soot from the flame of a torch transfers the motif to the blank canvas.

The scene itself with the bathing woman is a seemingly everyday occurrence, but the image is made erotic through the perspective where the viewer is placed in the role of the voyeur. We penetrate – or are invited – into an indistinct space where the soot blurs any clear lines and emphasizes the sensual, seductive and intimate, while leaving us with a sense of meditative tranquillity.