OUTSIDE THE GALLERY! Art in Czech public space after 1989

Reprise of the exhibition

16 March – 21 May 2023, Czech Centre Paris

Program: https://paris.czechcentres.cz/program/z-galerie-ven-umeni-v-ceskem-verejnem-prostoru

Conference: https://paris.czechcentres.cz/program/myslet-soucasnost-umeni-a-verejny-prostor-konference-v-beaux-arts-de-paris-a-performance-v-ceskem-centru

Public space and art have one common objective – they serve communication.
The city provides a public space for physical movement, walking, transport,
but also for meeting and establishing social contacts, it is a place of
expressed and tacit communication between people. Artworks displayed
in the open air play an important role in shaping this public space of
communication. They address passing viewers, recall a common past of the
community and thus reinforce the identity of the place, or, on the contrary,
stimulate public debate with provocative new topics. But they communicate
not only with the people, but also with the surrounding buildings and the
physical space of the city, which they give important accents to,
raising its aesthetic level.


These two roles of artworks in public space are the axis of this exhibition.
We were curious how artworks bring themes of public interest into the
public space and how they complete the physical face of the city, whether
in the form of permanent objects, temporary artistic interventions, outdoor
galleries, or sculpture festivals. In 4 sections a total of 61 artworks created
after 1989 are presented, a short historical introduction recalls the earlier
period from the 1960s onwards. The exhibition does not shy away from works
that have caused controversy for various reasons.