WELCOME TO HARD TIMES
18 Oct 2018 – 4 Feb 2019
We’re open to all, now also you
DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
Poupětova 1, Prague 7
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You don’t have to know much to know that the world has seen better days, so what are we doing about it? What are you doing about it? Apathy is one of the many issues we’re not talking about.
But why don’t people care about what’s going on in the world?
a. It doesn’t affect them directly
b. They can’t do anything about it.
c. They’ve seen it all before.
Instead, we go to the gym...
As a society we’ve never been sicker or more obsessed with exercise than we are today. New fitness concepts are being launched every day, but they’re all much of a muchness, really. Instead of the 7-minute workout there’s the 6-minute workout, instead of having to choose between yoga or acrobatics, they’ve been combined. But now there is a workout that challenges your body, your mind and your morals, and it might even be good for the world.
A workout that forces you to take on the big issues threatening our world every day - you can’t ignore them in this gym! Sweat out your guilt and your obliviousness, train your awareness, face the beasts head on. Who knows, maybe you’ll get a six-pack, or maybe you’ll come up with a solution to ocean pollution, or poverty.
In this interactive installation the space will be transformed into a gym, where you work out your muscles as you grapple with the issues facing the world. After your workout you’llfeel invigorated, informed and maybe even willing to be a little bit more aware of what’s really going on in the world.
Exhibition Concept: Erik Kessels
Artists:
Elinor Milchan - My Love Answer Me project
Antuan Rodriguez - Left or Right project curated by Marisa Caichiolo
Viktor Frešo
The visit of artist Elinor Milchan in Prague has been supported by the Embassy of the State of Israel in Prague.
Keep exploring
Opening: HIT BY NEWS
Opening of the exhibition of press art works from the collection of Annette and Peter Nobel entitled HIT BY NEWS.
HIT BY NEWS
HIT BY NEWS takes a lucid and critical look at the fascinating topic of a society that was, is, and will continue to be shaped by the media. It presents a selection from the collection of Annette and Peter Nobel.
Jazz at the Spring Fest
Living jazz legend and seventeen-time Grammy nominee Fred Hersch makes his Prague Spring debut with his trio, named Jazz Group of the Year 2019 by DownBeat magazine.
Unsuk Chin in Conversation
Public interview with Unsuk Chin, Prague Offspring Composer-in-Residence, holder of the Grawemeyer Award and the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung Preis.
Berg Orchestra: WhatsPop
New season’s opening concert. Psychedelico-lyrical fresco WhatsPop by French composer Aurélien Dumont combines contemporary music, pop culture, philosophy, and literature. The composer Aurélien Dumont will be present in person for the Czech premiere of his work in Prague.
Radim Langer: Arcanum
Radim Langer, who is interested in the relationships between individual color tones, distinctive, bright shades, and color contrasts, is exhibiting his works at the Polička/Shelf in the Fine Arts Archive.
Alžběta Tichá: Frekvence
Frequency explores the complex relationship between body, mind, and technology. What happens when we feel nothing at all? And what happens when we go through extreme physical and emotional roller coasters? Alžběta Tichá creates an intimate and dynamic picture of human perception and emotions.
GA-I-SU-RA
A homage to Petr Geisler and his work, GA-I-SU-RA also pays tribute to calligraphy as a form of inner expression, reminding us that writing and beautiful script have always been a natural reflection of (not only) a pure soul. From his expressive calligraphy through multiple-exposure photography from 1980s Japan to his monumental inscription of the Buddhist Heart Sutra.
Eva Švankmajerová: Woe to the Painting…
The exhibition presents the full range of the work of Eva Švankmajerová, a leading artist of the Czech surrealist movement. The fundamental themes of her work, which she approached with relentless irony and emancipatory zeal, included the female body and the fate of women in a society dominated by men.
Joel-Peter Witkin: Broken World
An exhibition presenting photographs and drawings by Joel-Peter Witkin from 2010-2025. The exhibited works, by one of the most influential authors who brought photography to the forefront of the visual arts, show why his work continues to shape the way we think about the body, memory, and the meaning of images.
Miquel Barceló and the Written Worlds
The first-ever presentation of the internationally acclaimed Spanish artist Miquel Barceló in the Czech Republic, focusing on his long and intense relationship with literature.
Point of View 3: Balance
The third instalment of a long-term project seeks a balance between the organic and technical worlds. The work of Czech and foreign artists reveals the various connections between nature and technology - two seemingly disparate environments to which we intrinsically belong today, even though we perceive a certain tension between them.
David Lynch: Up in Flames
The exhibition of the American artist David Lynch will present the artistic work of this icon of world cinema for the first time in the Czech Republic.
Ensemble Modern II
The acoustic world of South Korean markets or Japan’s Noh and Bunraku theatre. During the second evening of Prague Offspring, Ensemble Modern will present, in addition to four World premieres, music inspired by the Far East.
Masterclass – Ensemble Modern
Explore new performance techniques with members of Ensemble Modern as part of Prague Offspring. Part of the Prague Spring festival 2026.
Reading Lessons – Ensemble Modern
The Ensemble Modern players, who master their instruments in thousands of ways, guide young composers and the audience of Prague Offspring through a realm of new possibilities in sound. The concert takes place as part of the Prague Spring Festival 2026.
Ensemble Modern I
The first evening at the Prague Offspring with Ensemble Modern, during which you will step through the looking–glass, discover the endless possibilities of percussion instruments, and experience a world premiere. The concert is part of Prague Spring festival 2026.
