Tom Antalek was born in 1987 in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Growing up, he and his family would often spend their time in the mountains, hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. At the age of 10, Antalek discovered his passion for dance and vowed to become a professional dancer. From then on, he committed to practicing daily after school. At the age of 17, he left for Denmark to further his dance training and studies. He actively participated in numerous theatre productions and international dance competitions. He has studied under renowned teachers such as Klaus Kongsdal (Denmark), Gaynor Fairweather MBE (England), and Mirko Saccani (Italy). Antalek is the former Slovak National Latin Dance Champion. Since 2002, he has performed in over 20 shows across the globe from Czech Republic to Austria, including Broadway production Burn the Floor, and has been featured on the world-famous TV series Dancing with the Star between 2009 - 2011. At the age of 27, he gradually withdrew from his professional dancer career, and devoted his time to teaching and drawing instead. He moved to Hong Kong in 2014, and often travels to countries across Europe.
Since his youth, Antalek has always been a highly curious individual that closely observes things that intrigue him. As a self-taught artist, he traces the origins of his interest to when he was six years old, where he enjoyed drawing the scenes he saw on TV on paper. Now, he finds particular interest in the way dancers move, studying the dynamic shapes and angles their bodies form as they dance. Drawing from his abundant personal experience and expert understanding of human movement, Antalek seeks to capture the sensuality and timeless beauty of dance through expressive pencil and charcoal drawings.
Wolves and sharks are also common subject matter in Antalek's work. To him, wolves and sharks play indispensable roles in the ecological regulation of the earth, and expresses their beauty, liveliness, and strength through drawing.
In recent years, Antalek has been focusing on drawing and painting. He states, "I think I've finally found a good balance between the realistic and the abstract - allowing me to introduce and elevate the onlooker into appreciating what is usually overlooked or unappreciated." Antalek is excited to embarking on his new journey as an artist.