Czech Centre is starting its activities in Taipei with a photography exhibition

Press release published on 14 June 2024, Czech Centres

The opening of the A Short Story through Czech Photography exhibition took place on Friday, June 14th, 2024, in the Taipei Cultural and Creative Park Songshan, an industrial building of a former tobacco factory. The event was attended by the Director General of the Czech Centres Jitka Pánek Jurková, and the Head of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, David Steinke. The Deputy Speaker of the Czech Senate Jiří Drahoš, who is on a visit to Taipei as the head of the Czech Senate delegation, was a special guest. The event was attended by the Vice-President of Taiwan Hsiao Bi-khim.

“The mission of the Czech Centre Taipei is to deepen the Taiwanese public’s interest and understanding of both traditional and contemporary Czech culture. We want to be seen and heard in Taipei, get to know each other better and present Czech culture in a broader historical and social context. Last but not least, we want to contribute to an environment for economic opportunities,” Director General of Czech Centres Jitka Pánek Jurková says.

The Czech Centre in Taipei follows up on the cultural activities of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office operating in Taipei.

“There is clear evidence of very good reputation Czech culture has in Taiwan, for example in sold-out concert halls when Czech musicians play or when Czech music is played. We will continue to rely on icons such as Dvořák, Kafka and Mucha, but selection of contemporary Czech culture and art has definitely a chance to succeed here,“ says its head David Steinke.

The event was also introduced by the First Deputy Speaker of Czech Senate Jiří Drahoš.

“I’m pleased that by the start of activities of the Czech Centre in Taipei our presence in Taiwan is strengthened. This is another proof of excellent Czech-Taiwanese relations,” Deputy Speaker Jiří Drahoš said in Taipei.

The exhibition A short Story through Czech Photography was curated by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. Title photography of the exhibition is the famous black-and-white picture by Jan Saudek, which depicts a man holding a new born child in his arms. Through this exhibition Taipei will also get to know the photographic work of the famous painter Alfons Mucha, the mystical world of Czech photographer František Drtikol and the historical images of Josef Koudelka, who documented the invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968.

“We are starting our activities with an exhibition in which we will get a glimpse into the stories written by Czech photography from the Art Nouveau period to the present day. In this way, we will introduce Czech artists who have left a lasting mark on world culture, and at the same time tell the stories of modern Czech history,“ Director of the Czech Centre Taipei Markéta Záhumenská says.

In the future, the Czech Centre Taipei plans acitivites linked to the Year of Czech Music project, which is currently underway, and to present an interactive play dedicated to the world-famous Prague native Franz Kafka or the work of playwright and the first Czech President Václav Havel. 

The Czech Centres is a contributory organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. It currently operates in 28 destinations on four continents.