Jan Palach 16.1 – 25.1. 1969
Cloisters of Franciscan Monastery, Jungmanovo namesti, Prague
16.1. - 28.2.2009
Exhibition motto: Each man must fight only the evil he himself is able to manage.
Jan Palach
The main purpose of the project is, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Jan Palach's tragic death, to introduce to the public for the first time a wide set of photographs capturing the turmoil events taking place in Prague following Palach's self-immolation starting on January 16th until January 25th, 1969 when the massive manifestation funeral took place in the streets of Prague's Old Town. The closing of the project - or respectively its epilogue - consists of a small collection of photographs from Jan Zajic's funeral in Vitkov, as well as the appeal this student addressed to the Czech nation prior to self-immolating himself on February 25, 1969.
With this exhibition, the Prague House of Photography follows up on the 1945 Liberation...1968 Occupation - Soviet armies in Czechoslovakia exhibition, which took place in August and September 2008 in Gallery Manes and was met with great interest of the public. Both projects are a part of PHP's long-term conception, the aim of which is to introduce to or remind the public of significant events from our modern history through the means of photography.
The exhibition, as well as the accompanying publication will contain 120 black and white photographs and will introduce sets or individual pictures of many authors, whose works in many cases be shown for the first time - Jan Bartusek, Tibor Borsky, Jovan Dezort, Pavel Dias, Bohumil Dobrovolsky, Emil Fafek, Ivo Gil, Premysl Hnevkovsky, Josef Hnik, Dagmar Hochova, Miroslav Hucek, Jiri Chocholac, Karel Kalivoda, Miroslav Khol, Jaroslav Kucera, Vladimir Lammer, Marketa Luskacova, Miroslav Martinovsky, Milon Novotny, Jan Pikous, Jan Reich, Daniela Sykorova, Pavel Stecha, Pavel Vacha, Jiri Vsetecka and Miroslav Zajic.
Most of the photographs are 50x60 cm, respectively adjusted to 50 x 70 cm or 60 x 80 cm. Number of the photographs are large format (90 x 135 cm).
Prague House of Photography is preparing - in cooperation with KANT publishing house - an accompanying publication (graphic design by Oto Karlas, with texts in English as well). The text - a more detailed historical analyses of the events in question - was written by Jiri Suk, historian of the Institute Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences.
Considering that the exhibition represents not only a major cultural, but also a social event, we expect that it will be met with wide interest of the public. Nonetheless, we would like to, through the Ministry of Education and its education departments, call on history teachers to use the exhibition in their educational activities and visit the exhibition with their students.
Dana Kyndrova - Curator
