Other air

An extensive retrospective exhibition of the Group of Czech-Slovak Surrealists and its foreign guests presented artistic, as yet unexhibited work from the period 1990 – 2011 with emphasis on more contemporary works and younger authors. Foreign part of the international surrealistic movement was represented by authors from France, Britain, Sweden, Romania, Greece and the USA. Visitors had the opportunity to get to know an exclusive selection of surrealist works and a variety of art techniques – large-format graphics, acrylic paintings, sculptures and objects, installations, but also photographs, texts, combined techniques and collages.
The curatorial board, consisting of Jan Švankmajer, Martin Stejskal, Bruno Solařík, František Dryje, designed the exhibition concept especially to the Old Town Hall space.
All thematic units original layout offered visitors a unique concept of international creative cooperation, and also referred to what made Prague worldly famous – the magical genius loci.

EXHIBITION CONCEPT
Several interconnected thematic units, forming in a kind of eight-pointed star. Each of its axes – the thematic unit – contained two poles:

Dream – Reality
Eros – Thanatos
Crystallization – Irony
Undrestanding – Subversiveness
Surreal in Real – Real in Surreal

On these topics were presented comprehensive sets of works and their selection was supplemented by new realizations from the last period, which the authors created especially for this project. Thus, there was an overall connection and the exhibition was not only narrowly retrospective.

Selection of The Group authors: Karol Baron, Leonidas Kryvošej, Albert Marenčin, Přemysl Martince, Alena Nádvorníková, Kateřina Piňosová, Bruno Solařík, Martin Stejskal, Eva Švankmajerová, Jan Švankmajer, etc.
Foreign authors: Bill Howe, Kathleen Foxová, Ody Sabanová, Stephen Clark, Mimi Parent, Guy Girard, Bruno Jacobs, aj.

For the exhibition was published a representative bilingual color catalog of reproductions, supplemented by professional texts and free creation. This exhibition project also included an extensive accompanying program, including film screenings, author readings, theatrical performances, professional discussions and other cultural events.

DOWNLOAD CATALOGUE