Top 10 worthwhile Exhibitions while in Prague - summer 2022

In such an art-filled city like Prague, the offer seems endless. The next places in list though, have particular creative propositions that make them stand out. Here are ten of the best exhibitions present in Prague's cultural map during the first half of 2022:

1. Josef Sudek: “A Visit with Mr. Magician”

Either if you were a Josef Sudek’s connoisseur or if it was the first approach to his work, the commemorative exhibition of the Czech photographer’s 125th birth anniversary held from 15.12.2021 till 27.03.2022 in The Museum of Decorative Arts, was fitting to all. The work in display looked back on the photographer’s friendship with the Prague Castle architect Otto Rothmayer though a series of famous and even unseen photographs, which captured the Castle and the city in that nostalgic and mystical way that characterizes Sudek’s work. Hug up in various ways: in between glasses, with frames of different sizes, or even with patterns and texture behind them, the fine curative work was definitely in sync with the creative propositions of the pictures themselves. Some of the photographs were double exposures, some were a picture within a picture, some were just variations of the same subject taken form different angles or different times of the day, but all of them together in the exhibition constructed a really good opportunity to appreciate this renowned photographer work.

2. Trishna Adnani’s Wedlocked

Using art in order to create dialogue about the dark side of cultural practices was the purpose of “Wedlocked” by the Anglo-American University’s Visual Arts student Trishna Adnani. In her exhibition at Galerie Havelka, displayed from February from the 2nd until the 22nd , Adnani managed to explore the connection of toxic cultural practices in India that often lead to domestic violence against women, such as child marriage and the dowry system. Inspired by Pakistani fashion designers and feminist activists, she created the story of Ruby, a fictional tale of a young bride told through a three-part installation. A faceless mannequin wearing a traditional wedding gown with gold-painted objects on the floor represented all of the girl’s burdens and responsibilities; digital prints placed on the wall with graphic patterns that repeated themselves onto the fabric of the dress narrated her story of domestic abuse; and finally broken painted mirrors hung up on the opposite wall reflected her disheartening future. Conceptually the work was remarkable, not too graphic but still strong enough to evoke emotion and spark a conversation regarding the theme of domestic abuse.

3. Czech Press Photo at the National Museum

Held in the National Museum, this year Czech Press Photo Exhibition welcomes you with striking pandemic-related photographs, which despite being a theme that has been in constant display for the past two years, they are incredibly powerful, proving that it is still pertinent to showcase the topic. From hospital tragedies to beautiful candle memorials in Prague’s Old Town Square, these photographs make an adequate introduction to a collection of top quality photo story telling. Diverse issues form all over the world are covered by Czech and Slovak photographers, ranging from cute animals being rescued, artistic industrial landscapes, protests and manifestations - a lot of them -, people working in a circus, athletes competing in the Olympics, Prague’s main monuments, and more. Captions are big, stories are clear and relevant. Best photos of each month are in display as well as the Winning Photo of the Year 2021, a photograph taken by Petr Topič that documents the damage caused by the devastating tornado that swept through the villages of South Moravia in June last year. This exhibition definitely is an unmissable opportunity to learn, reflect, and to enjoy quality photography in a large scale.

Czech Press Photo 2021

Started on January 21st and will continue until May 30th.

Václavské nám. 68, National Museum

Open daily from 10:00 - 18:00

4. NaFilm - Czech Film Museum

If you are looking for space to learn about the most famous movies and directors, Hollywood and celebrities, NaFilm is not the place, it is not your usual Film Museum. NaFilm, as its slogan says, it’s a place where you “see film differently”. It offers one of a kind, hands-on experience on film-making history, the techniques used though time, filming and projection devices, and more. Since the beginning, interactiveness is not only allowed, but it is encouraged. You get to discover the basics from how our eye perceives colors and images in motion by pressing light releasing buttons and moving spirals, to recording your own soundscape for a film in a production cabin filled with sound making machines and props. You get to experiment with the projector, watch unique Czech films, introduce yourself to the beginnings of cinema through virtual reality and even get to make your own little animated movie and take it home.

A guided tour through the museum is not only available, but extremely recommendable due to the heart-spirited Charle’s University alumni who founded and run NaFilm.

NaFilm

Mozarteum, Jungmannova 748/30, Praha 1

Open Tuesday - Sunday from 13:00 – 19:00

5. Expo 58: Kupka and Mucha exhibition

If we talk about good comebacks, then the commemorative exhibition of two of the most famous Czechs artists held in the historical Expo 58 in Letna Park, is definitely it. Done as a tribute to František Kupka and Alfons Mucha's 1936 joint exhibition in Paris, the 2022 edition was the perfect re-opening of this emblematic art space, after 30 years of it to being closed to the public. Expo 58 is considered a symbol of international success of Czechoslovak art and part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and from February 26th to March 3rd, it displayed for free more than 80 artworks done by both internationally renowned artists. Without a particular order or structure, Mucha and Kukpa’s pieces were displayed on the white walls and in front of the tall glass windows. The latter was a particular curative choice, as it allowed the public to stare into the paintings with a background view overlooking Prague’s Old and New Town and the Vltava river. The value of the work presented in this short-term exhibition made it the most expensive exhibition in the Czech Republic, organized by a private gallery. Beyond any doubt, it was a worthwhile and beautiful opportunity with important historical context.

6. KINETISMUS - 100 Years of Electricity in Art

The transformation of the Zenger Electrical Substation into the newest cultural site in Prague had a very pertinent opening exhibition. Titled KINETISMUS - 100 Years of Electricity in Art, this Kunthsalle Praha’s inaugurating exhibition is about all the artistic use of electricity and the from the start of the 20th century to the present day. The two-floor exhibition is packed with artworks from different generation artists that experimented with the use of motorized movement, artificial light, computational models, information technology, and digital art. Fascinating pieces such as the nine-metre light graffiti wall, the infinity mirror room or the wire sounding cloud, make it a fun, interactive and learning experience suitable for all ages. At the end, if you find yourself overwhelmed with all the light and stimuli, they have the so called “Tower”, a dark silent space meant to sit and relax. Overall, the exhibition is an experience in itself, not just a common visit. A different proposition, a nice pertinent way of inaugurating a new art space in the city.

KINETISMUS

Started on February 22nd and it’s been extended until August 29th.

Klárov 5, Malá Strana

Monday 11 am - 7 pm I Wednesday 11 am - 9 pm. I Thursday to Sunday 11 am - 7 pm

7. Music Menagerie

Nature has always inspired human beings to create. In science, painting, sculpture and also in music. The Music Menagerie exhibition displayed in the Czech Museum of Music strives to prove just that, through an interactive tour that shows you how composers and instrument makers have all being influenced by the nature around us. You can learn about cows and pigs as the theme of children folk songs, drums shaped after an elephant’s foot, instruments that sound just like bees, the famous Swan Lake ballet, the butterflies collection of the composer Zdeněk Fibich and more. Through colorful text, buttons, earphones, drawings, and even dissected animals (like a lion!), it all makes up a fun and interesting experience not only for kids, but for everyone that wants to dive into this world of nature and music interrelation.

Music Menagerie

Karmelitská 2/4, Malá Strana

Opens daily from 10:00 - 18:00 except Tuesdays

8. Crypto Portal - Prague’s NFT Gallery

The smoothest introduction towards this brand new, “mysterious” technology can be acquired in Prague’s own NFT Gallery, Crypto Portal. Located in the heart of Old Town, right across from the Astronomical Clock, a non-profit gallery resides in a medieval basement. Screens are placed all around the brick walls and each features an art piece from a range of well-known local and international artists. These NFT’s - non-fungible tokens - can be practically anything from digital art works to photographs, each with a QR code for you to scan that will take you straight to the blockchain-based marketplace. The gallery’s emphasis on education is what makes it stand out. The disposition of the people who work there is remarkable and they do it just for the sake of sharing; sharing knowledge, sharing art, and making this new technologies close and available to anyone that has an interest on them. Also, be sure to check out their social media in order to find out about the upcoming events that they host, with cool music, people and drinks.

Staroměstské nám. 24, Staré Město

Open daily from 9am – pm

9. Museum Kampa

Museum Kampa is definitely not new but it for sure makes the list as it is a unmissable while in Prague. Located right across Kampa Island in the Lesser Town, this museum of modern art happens to house one of the largest collections of paintings, drawings and prints of František Kupka, from his earliest instances of abstraction, all the way to his limited color palette experimentation. Although its founder Meda Mládek recently passed away in the beginning of May (in fact, a little commemoration altar is now in place at the museum’s central courtyard), we can still enjoy not only her Kukpa collection, but also art pieces form other important figures, sculptors and painters from the late 20th century as well as it temporary exhibitions from Central European and international contemporary artists. The modern and dynamic venue, with its metal stairs, its tall-glass walls and the terrace at the top with a gorgeous view of the Castle and the Vltava river, really makes up for an exceptional cultural visit.

Museum Kampa

U Sovových mlýnů 503/2 Malá Strana

Opens daily from10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

10. iMUCHA – A Famous Collection in Motion

Starting off with the artist himself welcoming you via an animated painting, the exhibition combines Art Nouveau with technology to showcase the best of the iconic Czech artist Alfons Mucha. The exhibition located in no other than the Prague’s Municipal House, an Art Nouveau building itself, presents a collection of Mucha’s work through all of his creative periods, from his distinctive posters to his monumental paintings. You get to learn about the artist, the women that inspired his famous posters and the companies to which he made advertising to. You even get to see up close a replica of his St. Vitus Cathedral stained glass and fragments of the majestic Slav Epic projected onto the walls, all while dramatic music plays in the background as you make your way through the digitally enhanced exhibition.

iMucha

Until February 2023

Náměstí Republiky 5, Staré Město

Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m