Ivan hradil

My name is Ivan Hradil, and I come from a small hop-growing town called Kryry. My story began 39 years ago. Even as a little boy, I had the desire to express myself in any way I could, and paper with crayons was the obvious choice. It was my world, a place where I felt like myself.

Over time, painting slowly faded into the background and I found other interests, like sports – puberty simply took its course. But time went on, my mind was occupied with completely different things, and then fate decided otherwise – my world literally turned upside down. I went through a very difficult life trial. Day after day, I was searching for a way back, but the path was out of sight, constantly slipping further away.

After a period of silence, emptiness, and deep pain, I suddenly began to wake up. I started remembering what once made me happy, what filled me as a little boy – bringing pieces of myself into paintings. Life’s challenges, as well as life itself, bring us many trials, but I feel that now the path I walk is the right one. Each of us goes through some kind of trial, some challenge, but it is precisely these moments that allow us to grow in self-knowledge.