Stuck on the City, Municipal Library of Prague, Prague (2013)

The international exhibition, which hosted twenty-six artists from the Czech Republic and abroad, and which was initiated by the former head curator of the City Gallery Prague, Karel Srp, ended on 27 January 2013, after having been extended by two weeks due to huge public interest.

Stuck on the City is the name for a strange modern and postmodern passion – love for the city, which has surpassed the usual limits and developed into an obsession. An obsession is bipolar – it can be positive and negative, similar to the graffiti and street art which made up the body of this international exhibition with the same name. It is not necessary to analyse the dark side of this visual phenomenon of approximately the past 50 years. The omnipresence of “sprayed art” nevertheless calls for a pause of reflection. The initial reaction is that we damn it as pure vandalism, pointing to the lack of aesthetics and the sacred law of private property. Another approach attempts to answer the question why did such an “obsession” arise in the first place. And finally, some are able to distinguish between the signatures of a toy and a seasoned artist, appreciating their placement, good idea or aesthetic qualities, such as colour, form etc. The surprising outcome of this exhibition was to find out how many people are inclined towards the third reaction.

For more info about the exhibition click here.