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Current AffairsFrom Morning till Night and more
The Czech Cultural Centre in London is gearing up for a big event this
weekend – an exhibition of visual art by the Czech-born artist Kateřina
Šedá called from Morning till Night. I asked the head of the centre,
Ladislav Pflimpfl, who was on a brief visit to Prague this week, what it is
all about and what else is in the pipeline for fans of Czech art this
autumn. More
ArtsDominik Lang’s The Sleeping City to go up at 54th Venice Biennale
The 54th Venice Biennale is less than a month away and the installation
representing the Czech and Slovak arts scenes at the national pavilion is
now en route. Created by Czech artist Dominik Lang and entitled The
Sleeping City, the instalation aims to challenge international viewers to
experience, assess, or revisit on an intuitive and emotional level recent
Czechoslovak and European history, from the Cold War to today. More
ArtsBlood, pain and violence nothing new in art, says curator of Prague exhibition that warns the sensitive to think twice before entering
Decadence Now! at Prague’s Rudolfinum gallery has become one of the most
talked about exhibitions of the year in the Czech Republic. An extremely
ambitious show by local standards, it brings together over 140 pieces by
leading contemporary artists, including Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Gilbert
and George, and Cindy Sherman. Sections with titles like Sex, Pain and
Death feature many works that are unusually graphic, some might say
shocking. Indeed, under 15s are not allowed to enter unaccompanied. More
Current AffairsControversial Entropa gets permanent home in Plzeň
A controversial sculpture known as Entropa, by the famous Czech artist
David Černý, has found a permanent home in Plzeň. The giant artwork was
unveiled this week at the Techmania Science Museum, which acquired it for
10.2 million crowns. Some will remember that Entropa caused something of a
scandal last year when it was unveiled in Brussels as part of the Czech EU
presidency. It offended some in the manner in which it ridiculed national
stereotypes – depicting Bulgaria, for example, as a Turkish squat toilet.
Since then, the controversy has abated, but there’s no question Entropa
remains a riveting work.
More
ArtsFuture of the Future exhibition at Prague’s DOX seeks to go beyond established conceptions of past, present and future
The future is not what is used to be. This popular statement was the
inspiration for a fresh exhibition that opened at Prague’s DOX Center for
Contemporary Art this week. It is titled The Future of the Future and
explores not just our visions of the future, but also how our understanding
of the actual concept has changed. On display are works by artists from
Austria, England, Germany and the US. Sarah Borufka went and took a look at
what the future holds.
More
Current AffairsIce bust of Czech president on display near government HQ causes stir
This week, an art piece exhibited in front of Czech government headquarters
caused a bit of a stir. An ice sculpture of the head of President Václav
Klaus that slowly melted in the sun did not amuse officials, who had
commissioned students to create artworks for a nearby garden. The offending
artist, sculpting student Markéta Jáchimová, decided to display her
piece despite orders not to.
More
ArtsHunt Kastner Artworks – helping young Czech artists develop international careers
Hunt Kastner Artworks in Prague 7 is a private gallery owned and run by
Camille Hunt, who is Canadian, and Katherine Kastner, who is from the US
though her mother is Czech. The two represent 10 Czech artists, among them
Eva Koťátková, Josef Bolf and Daniel Pitín. This week I stopped by to
talk to the owners about their work, both curating shows and helping their
artists find buyers overseas. I first asked Hunt what had led them to open
the gallery in the first place.
More
Current AffairsAuthor of Entropa plans provocative new artwork
Anyone even mildly familiar with the Czech art scene will have heard of
David Černý, the 41 year-old artist who made international headlines
earlier this year with Entropa – a controversial artwork that parodied
national stereotypes within the EU. After disappearing from the public eye
for some time, Černý is back – promising a new work that seems just as
likely to cause a stir. More
Current AffairsDivus: presenting alternative art in Prague and London
Originally the concept of one Czech man, Ivan Mečl, Divus has grown into
something of a mini art empire. The organization has offices in Prague,
London and Berlin, and a magazine called Umělec published in Czech,
Spanish, English and Chinese. I paid a visit to two of the organisation’s
offices:
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