Via vitae
30 Jun – 16 Oct 2022
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DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
Poupětova 1, Prague 7
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The painting and drawing work of Věra Nováková (b. 1928) has been one of the most important works in the context of Czech art for more than half a century. Věra Nováková briefly studied at the Prague Academy but was expelled after the communist coup in February 1948. In the following decades, she and her husband, the artist Pavel Brázda, worked in seclusion, without the opportunity
to present their works publicly and away from the direct influence of current artistic trends.
Nevertheless, her work reflects various tendencies of the art of the second half of the 20th century, from late surrealism to informel to experiments with letters and words. She also worked on book and magazine illustration as well as sculptures and installations. The exhibition entitled Via vitae does not present Vera Nováková's work in all its complexity or chronological sequence but seeks to show the story of a rich and profound life full of twists and turns, search, and hope. A story of works that remarkably reflect not only the development of Czech art, but also important social issues and themes that remain more than relevant today. The exhibition will be complemented by the work of artists for whom the work and life of Věra Nováková was an inspiration.
Curators: Michaela Šilpochová, Otto M. Urban
Keep exploring
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The exhibition will present thirty of the latest works by the painter Pavel Forman. The title of the exhibition can be understood as a play on words, referring of course to the artist’s name and at the same time to his favourite forms and approaches, which are in a sense “trans”, i.e. metamorphosing, transitional or mutating.
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Another instalment of the long-term project, which combines the format of an exhibition and a classroom and focuses on the theme of human identity. Who am I? What am I? The human form naturally takes centre stage; the body, its clothing, its behaviour. A person's identity and the different ways of looking at it.
Czech Hero
The premiere of the satirical physical theater production Czech Hero by the theatre ensemble Farm in the Cave, which focuses on the contemporary and pressing topic of disinformation and political marketing. Movement, words, live music, dynamics, energy, exaggeration. All this in the DOX+ hall.
Franz Kafka and contemporary artists: Mat Collishaw
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Czech Hero
Satirical physical theater production Czech Hero by the theatre ensemble Farm in the Cave, which focuses on the contemporary and pressing topic of disinformation and political marketing. Movement, words, live music, dynamics, energy, exaggeration. All this in the DOX+ hall.
Franz Kafka and contemporary artists: Jan van Oost & Alexander Tinei
How does literature inspire contemporary artist to create their own work? How do language and text find their way into their work, and what other artistic genres does they enjoy combining? Otto M. Urban, curator of the KAFKAesque exhibition, will discuss with artist Jan van Oost and Alexander Tinei on board the airship Gulliver.
Contemporary writer in Europe
How do contemporary authors perceive their position in a Europe that is being transformed under the increasing influence of populists and threatened by the Russian imperial war in Ukraine? What to write about, and how, when facing the diminishing ability of readers to focus on extended texts, as well as decreasing book sales?
