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The Topography of Hope – Crystallized

25/10 – 6/12 2018

Project  The Topography of Hope – Crystallized offers wide range of views on current society in contrast with history and specifically with the critical year of 1968. This perspective is created by artists studying or teaching at Faculty of Art and Design of University of Jan Evangelista Purkyně.

Current societal and political situation is often said to represent a crisis of democracy. Our society has been through many crises in its recent history, for example during the Prague Spring developments of the year 1968. Notably, we commemorate its 50th anniversary this year. In those times heroes emerged and through either small or great actions, they fought their battles against the suppression of democracy. Their deeds were the result of crystallization of their personalities under the pressure of undemocratic oppression. Our current age also exerts pressure and we are looking for new heroes. But what does it mean to be a hero today? What does it mean to be an individual in our times? We are witnessing a decline of trust in democratic institutions. Political, economic and cultural systems of the traditional liberal democratic states are transforming, in post-communistic states and elsewhere. This transformation is visible through the rise of extremism, centralisation of power, the radical right, Putinism, Erdoganism and populism. Current ideological framework of the abovementioned phenomena integrates neonationalism and xenophobia into the society. Traditional human values like good will, solidarity, altruism, service in favour of community do not belong to the principles of everyday life. We examine the problematics with questions, exploring how people view the aforementioned values and how they cope with their transformation. What are the values of the current generation? How can individuals take the responsibility towards the society, their community and their future into their own hands?

Artists:
Otýlie Diatková, Radek Jandera, Polina Khatsenko, Pavel Kopřiva, Jan Krtička, Petr Kubáč, Marija Mandic, Josef Málek, Pavel Matela, Klára Míčková, Alexandra Naušová, Eva Pacalová, Simona Patelisová, Jan Prošek, Marie Scheerbaumová, Kateřina Šichanová, Magdaléna Šťastníková, Karim Tarakji, Marie Wolfová

invitation
press release