Experience the Impact: National Gallery Prague Launches Two Captivating Spring Exhibitions!
The National Gallery in Prague has recently launched two exciting exhibitions focused on the changing relationship between humanity and the natural environment.
The first exhibition, titled Silent Spring: Art and Nature 1930–1970, is currently available for viewing until August 31 on the first floor of the east wing in Veletržní Palace. Featuring over 100 artworks, this exhibition challenges the conventional notion that nature merely serves as a passive backdrop for human activities, encouraging attendees to reconsider their impact on the environment.
“This exhibition poses an essential question: Are human culture and the natural world fundamentally in conflict?” remarks curator Eva Skopalová. The exhibition draws solely from the gallery’s extensive collections and unites both historical and contemporary viewpoints.
Guests will have the opportunity to appreciate works by renowned 20th-century artists such as Josef Šíma, Toyen, Jindřich Štyrský, and František Muzika, as well as contemporary creators like Anna Hulačová, Eliška Konečná, and Marie Tučková. This exhibition builds upon the influence of the foundational 1962 environmental science book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, which ignited a worldwide environmental movement.
Concurrently, a second exhibition with a captivating title: The Heart of a Giraffe in Captivity is Twelve Kilos Lighter is on display. This unique project was created by the esteemed Czech artist Eva Koťátková and is being showcased in the Small Hall of Veletržní Palace; it will remain open until July 27.
“This project is an ongoing narrative. It represents just one chapter in the giraffe’s continuous story,” shares Koťátková, who had the honor of representing the Czech Republic at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.
The exhibition is inspired by the true story of Lenka the Giraffe, who was brought from Kenya to the Prague Zoo in 1954, only to die two years later. Her preserved body was exhibited in the National Museum until the year 2000. Koťátková transforms Lenka’s story into a deeply personal and thought-provoking statement, inviting viewers to reflect on how humans interact with animals and the environments they inhabit.
To enrich the immersive experience of the exhibition, there will be two live performances held during its run, offering audiences an engaging way to connect with the exhibition’s themes.
In addition to these two primary exhibitions, the National Gallery is also showcasing Touches of Presence – Artists of the UB 12 Creative Group, located on the second floor of Veletržní Palace until June 26.
This exhibition features the works of Adriena Šimotová, Vlasta Prachatická, and Věra Janoušková, who are notable members of the UB 12 group, an avant-garde collective that significantly pushed the boundaries of Czech art during the later half of the 20th century.
