Opening: Argus & Medusa
1 Oct 2026, 7:30 PM
Let’s get straight to it, before we divert you
Free entry
DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
Poupětova 1, Praha 7
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The opening of the exhibition Argus & Medusa: On Hope in Dark Times, which will open alongside the Festival of Arts, Literature & Learning.
The exhibition will feature the work of Pierre-Désiré Guillemet & Étienne Antoine Eugène Ronjat (Théodore Géricault), Kader Attia, Banksy, Miquel Barceló, John Beard, Conrad Botes, Sylvie Choisnel, Tom de Freston, Martin Gerboc, Adad Hannah, Hu Jieming, Nikita Kadan, Monika & Bohuš Kubinský, David LaChapelle, Wolfe von Lenkiewicz, Paul McCarthy, Karol Radziszewski, Marek Schovánek, Elfie Semotan, Jakub Špaňhel, Jason deCaires Taylor, Bill Viola, Joel-Peter Witkin.
The exhibition will also include a special presentation of “Shipwreck” by Julian Barnes.
About the exhibition:
Considered one of the most captivating artworks in the history of art, Théodore Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa (1818–1819) has fascinated and inspired artists, writers, and other creative minds across time, cultures, and continents. The exhibition Argus & Medusa shows how this work has sparked the imagination of contemporary visual artists with its monumentality, groundbreaking composition, and execution – but above all with its epic portrayal of humanity struck by a sudden catastrophe, in a moment between hope and despair.
The artists in this exhibition regard Géricault’s work as a metaphor for the contemporary world and its calamities, from wars, pandemics, and migration crises to climate change, the breakdown of the social order, and personal traumas. Yet they also emphasise hope, resilience, and the human species’ ability to survive, thanks above all to empathy, compassion, and solidarity. WE ARE ALL ON THE RAFT OF THE MEDUSA AND THIS IS OUR STORY. How will we weather crises and catastrophes when hope shrinks to a tiny speck on the horizon?
Author and main curator: Michaela Šilpochová
Collaborating curators: Leoš Válka, Otto M. Urban
The works in this exhibition are kindly on loan from:
Amiens, Musée de Picardie; Catherina and Michael Roets; Collection Baudoin Lebon, Paris; Collection Conrad Botes; Dalloul Art Foundation; David LaChapelle Studio; Galerie Poggi, Paris; Hu Jieming and ShanghART Gallery; Justyna Dąbrowska-Bień; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark; Messums Org; Paul McCarthy and Hauser & Wirth; Paul and Paula Smith; Studio Semotan; Youxiantang Collection; Zeina Itaoui; the exhibiting artists; and private collectors.
The exhibition will run until 4 April 2027.
Opening Partner
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