'Uncensored: Polish Independent Art of the 1980s' – programme of accompanying events
30 May / 19.00
Praga, Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 13
Debate – Uncensored: art and culture during captivity /Belarus
The development of independent and underground culture during the late communist period in Polish People’s Republic and Czechoslovakia had not only artistic, but also socio-political significance. The struggle experienced by artists in our countries in the 1980s is what artists in Belarus are experiencing today. Censorship, the threat of imprisonment, or being forced to emigrate are daily experiences for anyone who wants to maintain moral and creative independence. How can artists work in such conditions? What is the role of art and culture when freedoms are limited? The discussion will be attended by Galina Kazimirovskaya, conductor and head of the CONCORDIA choir and Yaraslav Anank, a cultural studies scholar and moderated by Jáchym Topol. Organisers: Polish Institute in Prague, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic.
10 June / 14.00
Kutná Hora / GASK, Barborská 51-53
Guided exhibition tour with the curators
10 June / 16.00
Kutná Hora / GASK, Barborská 51-53
Literary evening dedicated to Polish opposition literature of the 1980s and a presentation of the Czech edition of Jan Polkowski’s poetry collection, 'Głosy' [Voices] – a poetic reflection on the bloody suppression of the 1970 strikes in Gdańsk and Gdynia. The author will be accompanied by his translator, Lucie Szymanowska, and Józef Maria Ruszar, historian of literature and director of the Institute of Literature. Organised in cooperation with the Polish Institute in Prague and the Institute of Literature. 2 September / 13.00 Kutná Hora / GASK, Barborská 51-53 Guided exhibition tour with the curators
2 September / 15.00
Kutná Hora / GASK, Barborská 51-53
Discussion on Polish-Czech relations in the visual arts of the 1980s.
Organised in cooperation with the Polish Institute in Prague.
6 September / 18.00
Kutná Hora / GASK, Barborská 51-53
Film screening – 'Tenkrát v Praze'
Josef Císařovský’s documentary film 'Tenkrát v Praze' tells the story of the independent music and cultural scene in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. The screening will be followed by a short discussion with the director and protagonist of the film – Miloš Čuřík.
6 September / 19.00
Prague, Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 13 Debate – 'Uncensored: Censorship today' We live in a society that considers freedom of speech and freedom of artistic expression as fundamental human rights. And yet, doubts about the real extent of our freedom of expression are growing. What are the enemies of free speech today? Political Correctness? Social Media Algorithms? Grant mechanisms in culture? Organisers: Polish Institute in Prague, Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
A series of screenings of films not allowed to be distributed for political reasons in the Polish People’s Republic / 12-14 September
Prague, Ponrepo Cinema, Bartolomějská 291/11 Organisers: National Film Archive – Ponrepo Cinema, Polish Institute in Prague, Adam Mickiewicz Institute
12 September / 20.30
Screening of the film 'Matka Królów' [The Mother of Kings] (dir. Janusz Zaorski, 1988)
13 September / 18.00 and 20.30
'Blank Pages in Polish History' – a discussion with Maciej Drygas and screening of the film 'Usłyszcie mój krzyk' [Hear My Cry] (dir. Maciej Drygas, 1991) .hr.
13 September / 20.30 Screening of the film 'Kobieta samotna' [A Lonely Woman Alone] (dir. Agnieszka Holland, 1981) with a lecture by Jacek Petrycki.
14 September / 18.00
Screening of the film 'Przesłuchanie' [Interrogation] (dir. Ryszard Bugajski, 1989) with a lecture by Jacek Petrycki.
16 September / 14.00
Kutná Hora / GASK, Barborská 51-53 Guided exhibition tour with the curators