Josef Rataj (born 1979 in the Czech Republic) is a Czech painter, artist and performer.

From an early age, he traveled with his parents to Los Angeles, where he was fascinated by the advertising designs and pop art style of the 50s, the glowing Venice Beach and the live advertising signs of Las Vegas casinos.

The uniqueness of neon colors, invincible superheroes and the world of growing consumption led him to his current artistic work. Today, Josef Rataj is one of the pioneers of this style in the Czech Republic. He is known for his pop art combined with abstraction, but also works on the creation of 3D objects.

He does not limit his work to creations on canvases and walls. Over the past 15 years, he has presented his distinctive style in several multimedia collaborations for clothing collections of well-known brands. He is currently working with leading designers on a completely new project under his own name.

He organizes workshops for young painters and participates in the choreography of a performance that combines painting and dance. In projects such as Colour Heroes, he combined his painting skills with talented dancers, acrobats and stuntmen, creating a concept that combines the technique of fast painting and dancing. Within minutes, accompanied by a group of actors, Josef brings portraits of famous and fictional personalities to life on blank canvases. This visual ride is accompanied by performances by famous Czech and foreign musicians and, thanks to its unique concept, has become the highlight of many festivals and social events.

Josef Rataj’s paintings can be found in private collections around the world and also appear in city exhibitions as well as in modern commercial projects.