The Jindřich Chalupecký Award in 2024 exhibition presents the results of a year-long work by Judita Levitnerová, Oskar Helcel and the No Fun collective. From a record number of submitted portfolios, this trio was selected for this year's edition of the leading Czech award for visual artists by an international jury consisting of Charles Esche (Director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, the Netherlands), Hana Janečková (independent curator, Academy of Fine Arts in Prague), Valentinas Klimašauskas (independent curator and writer, Vilnius, Lithuania), Marika Kupková (curator, TIC Gallery, Brno), Sráč Sam (artist and curator, Sam 83 Gallery, Česká Lípa) and Fatoş Üstek (independent curator and theorist, curator, Frieze Sculpture, London, UK). The areas in which the jury praised their work are textile production and the problematization of so-called women's work (Levitnerová), a critical approach to architecture in late capitalism (Helcel), and subverting stereotypes of computer games (No Fun collective).
In the exhibition space of Pražák's Palace, you can see a monumental tapestry and installation by Judita Levitnerová, a three-part video installation by Oskar Helcel and the No Fun Collective's gaming environment. The architectural design of the exhibition was prepared by Magdalena Uhlířová and Adéla Vavříková (studio ruina.office). Their design brought an unexpected layer to the exhibition - the architects together with the curatorial collective thought*about how to deal with the exhibition panels, which, although they allow the use of more walls in the gallery and create more controllable lighting conditions for some of the works, also block the windows of the originally residential spaces and the natural light that could flow into the exhibition. Rather than un-ecologically tearing down and rebuilding the panels, the curatorial collective, along with the architects, decided to take this layer of exhibition space and show the audience what is actually behind it. Thanks to the mirrors placed in various places in the exhibition space, viewers are able to see new views of the backs of the panels on which historical works from the Moravian Gallery's collections are installed.
The curators Tereza Jindrová and Karina Kottová (SJCH) and the curator Ondřej Chrobák (MG) have selected them in relation to the art projects of this year's laureates. The more literal and free associations develop themes such as textiles and handicrafts, water and natural elements, masculinity and howling, the city and other "worlds". Works from completely different historical periods, styles and contexts, which are usually hidden away in depositories, intermingle. This part of the exhibition thus also highlights the fact that despite projects such as open depositories and systematic work with museum collections, a huge number of artefacts from the collections of museums and galleries around the world never see the light of the exhibition space.
Traditionally, the Jindřich Chalupecký Prize exhibitions also include an exhibition by a foreign guest. We are delighted that Selma Selman, a multidisciplinary artist of international dimension, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, has accepted the invitation for this year. Her socially engaged work, with a strong feminist and environmental accent, is aimed at critiquing capitalism and patriarchy, but is primarily a means of empowering marginalized and oppressed groups (especially Roma children and women), whether in terms of economic support or sharing skills and know-how.
