Return The OSTRAVA? Exhibition
  18. 9. – 25. 10. 2009
Černá Louka Exhibition Centre – Pavilion A

Curator: Lenka Lindaurová
Main partners: Ostrava City Museum and Ostrava Gallery of Fine Arts
The exhibition covered a display area of 2 400m2 and presented 220 works by 156 artists.
Total number of tickets sold: 9 830

As part of Ostrava’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2015, the city’s art lovers had the opportunity to visit an exhibition showcasing the best of Ostrava’s art from the 20th century to the present day. The exhibition ‘OSTRAVA?’ featured works of art connected with the region, both past and present. The exhibition was located in a specially created space outside a traditional gallery venue. The display area of 2 400 square metres enabled the organizers to present for the first time such a huge range of artefacts connected with the city of Ostrava – targeted not only at experts, but also at the general public. The main criterion for display was the works’ connection with the city of Ostrava. The exhibition presented works by renowned Czech artists such as Jan Zrzavý, Václav Špála, Antonín Slavíček and Kamil Lhoták (owned by the Ostrava Gallery of Fine Arts) as well as showcasing the work of the city’s contemporary artists such as Eduard Ovčáček, Jiří Šigut, Petr Lysáček, Daniel Balabán, Katarína Szanyi and many more.

The concept and structure of the exhibition

The concept of the OSTRAVA? exhibition was based on the unambiguously positive contribution of art to any society. The exhibition aimed to reveal to visitors the true meaning of artistic creation – which is an important form of self-reflection for all people in all eras. This is especially true in Ostrava – a mainly industrial city where awareness of culture is a key requirement. The exhibition uncovered the roots of the local culture, the way in which Ostrava’s artistic and cultural scene has reflected events and activities in the region, and the importance of art in Ostrava’s everyday life. The exhibition was not charged with pathos, nor did it attempt to portray the city as somehow exceptional and exclusive – the energy of the event was drawn from its ironic sideways look at itself, its humour, its self-awareness.
The exhibition brought together and contrasted works of art on various levels: thematic (the industrial landscape of the city), historical (Czech artists and those of other nationalities, past and present), conceptual (comparison of various artistic streams and tendencies) and postmodern (high vs. low, etc.). In formal terms, the exhibition was divided into seven parts, which overlapped and touched on each other at certain points. The section Showcase / Collectors displayed top-quality works of art from institutional and private collections, documenting the enthusiasm of the city’s art collectors between the world wars as well as showcasing contemporary collections which are bringing the works of major artists to the city. The sections Personalities and Region displayed works by world-renowned authors (e.g. Oscar Kokoschka, who visited Ostrava several times, as well as František Kupka, whose works are well represented in the city’s collections) but also some of the most interesting works to have been created in the Ostrava region during the last two centuries – typical or untypical, time-bound or timeless, amateur or professional, exceptional, educational, or lyrical. The section Construction / Geometry / Concept displayed various styles of modern and postmodern art as manifested in the specific Ostrava environment, including some major works by somewhat neglected artists from the 1970s to the present day. The section Events / Documentaries / Intervention featured examples of visual art which have touched on the city’s public space and involve a merging of various artistic forms. Contemporary art was selected to emphasize the city’s unique contemporary atmosphere, balanced between past and future utopias. Some of the artists live in Ostrava permanently, some come from the city, some studied at the city’s University and now work elsewhere. This part of the exhibition emphasized personal, individual approaches and bonds with the region, contrasting the work of the youngest generation with that of established, world-renowned artists (Jiří Georg Dokoupil) and using a range of media from paintings to photography, comic books to video art and installations. The exhibition also featured a section on Curiosities – with regional curios lent by members of the public in response to an appeal by the exhibition creators, representing an intimate gateway to high art.

The large display space enabled the organizers to present for the first time such a huge range of artefacts connected with the city of Ostrava – targeted not only at experts, but also at the general public. The works were selected in close conjunction with regional institutions, private collectors and artists’ studios. During the preparatory phase, some works which had been considered lost were actually re-discovered (an allegory of Ostrava by a local artist working in the 1920s). Some works connected with Ostrava were also purchased by a private collector in the city – these works had been restituted and had become available on the international market, and were shown to Ostrava’s public for the first time ever at the OSTRAVA? exhibition. Most of the contemporary works were created specially for this exhibition, and had never been displayed before. In collaboration with the exhibition curator, the artists produced works on specific topics connected with Ostrava and drawing together various spheres of culture (music, literature, art).



Photographs with works of art

Throughout the exhibition (every day from 10:00 to 18:00), visitors had the opportunity to have their photos taken with an exhibit of their choice by a professional photographer. The digital photographs were immediately printed using a thermosublimation printer, and the visitors could take a print home with them as a souvenir. The photos were displayed at the page Fotografie z výstavy [Photographs from the exhibition] at the Ostrava 2015 website.

During the course of the exhibition, a total of 2 619 photographs were collected in this way, forming a unique gallery that can be viewed on the Ostrava 2015 website. The prints were displayed on a rapidly growing series of panels at the exhibition itself – becoming an integral part of the exhibition and documenting Ostrava’s appetite for art of all kinds.

Although there were 2 619 photographs in total, the number of people photographed was higher, as many visitors wanted to pose in couples or groups. According to the exhibition photographers Martin Popelář, Roman Polášek, Tomáš Čvančara and Aleš Luzar, the most popular exhibit (with a total of 211 prints) was the Tatra 87 classic car (1938, this exhibit manufactured in 1940).

The OSTRAVA! exhibition
In 2015, if Ostrava succeeds in its bid to become European Capital of Culture, this year’s OSTRAVA? exhibition will be followed up by an exhibition entitled OSTRAVA!, which will aim to capture the positive changes in the city’s artistic life (the exhibition would be held in Ostrava’s new art gallery). The project will emphasize the city’s vision of a cultural future on an international scale. The exhibition plans to compare the contemporary art of the Ostrava region with the works of European artists; works will be selected in cooperation with similar institutions Europe-wide. The exhibition will be targeted not only at local people, but also at international visitors, and the project will involve big names in the art world as well as innovative installations in a new, state-of-the-art gallery space.