Prague, June 12 – September 13, 2026, https://matterof.art/
Visiting the Biennial Matter of Art 2026 came with very nice memories of the 2024 edition. And indeed, as it was taking place in the same space – the large hall of the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery Prague – there was a feeling of returning and continuation. The enormous space was subdivided by light-weight airy scaffolding-like constructions that were partially used for mounting artworks and partially as walls of “black cubes”. In addition to that, two large tent-like structures were placed in the space. The show had an open and welcoming feeling.
The theme of this year´s edition was “necessary wishes”, aiming to foreground “art that is born out of necessity and shaped by a reflexive, embodied engagement with the conditions people inhabit every day”. Jaroslava Tomanova, Jakub Gawkowski, and Frantisek Fekete were the curators. Even though the curators change, the direction of the biennial seems to be very much shaped by the organizing collective tranzit, founded on equality of all human creatures, equal access and a general openness and critical awareness of social and political dimensions of art.
It is hard to write about everything on site, but the above-mentioned openness and human-centred approach was inherent to many of the artworks in the show. Starting from the catalogue that was not a catalogue but a kind of zine co-produced with an artist collective. I just opened it on a page that immediate resonated with me:
The act of drawing serves me as a primary form of capturing inner emotional states. It sustains me not in an economic sense but in the sense of fulfilling an inevitable need – to give form to what I cannot initially grasp in words, and to come closer to being understood first and foremost by myself. I translate thought processes into lines. I materialise them, sort and filter them. I sublimate the urge for impulsive, raw, emotion-driven communication into drawing, creating a safe, boundless in-between space, the ability to communicate emotions outward mindfully, deliberately and carefully – was once too distant, felt almost unreachable…. (Bara Gallo)
This quote from the zine was available as in form of a t-shirt to be purchased and taken home along with the zine.
A lot of works about the “human condition” – how we live, why we live, what we do, what we are forced to do, why we do…
Different media, different formats, but one inevitable purpose: to live.
I really appreciated that the show was accessible, but in no way “dumbed down”. Each artwork had its depth and was selected based on its internal meaning and relation to the overarching theme. The visitor had the choice whether to pass by, to engage visually or to dive in deeper.
Maybe a bit about the tents that were so prominent and that I enjoyed:
The red tent was by krouzek intersekce, a collective focusing on feminism and collective learning. It was an event space for the collective’s workshops, but it was also a place to sit, relax and browse an open book library. The programming was in fact open to anyone interested to organize an event in the tent: Anyone could reserve the space.
The blue tent was more intimate and cozy and a kind of counterpart to the agora-like red tent. It was a place for quiet rest. But I also observed some small babies playing inside there happily. This was in fact not a tent by a sculptural object by Bronislava Orlicka and Zuzana Smrkovska titled “Sensory Shelter”. It was in dialogue with and related to Orlicka´s paintings that were displayed nearby.
A third “tent” made from felt and stained glass was made by David Apakidze. This tent was not open to go inside, one could only observe it from the outside as a sculpture. It related to the role of the church in contemporary society and its function of caring, that is still very relevant, yet at the same time its function as a carrier of conservative outdated values.
Here are some more photos from the show with apologies to all the artists I did not mention because of my time constraints.
In addition to the main show, there was another show in Pardubice GAMPA (another gallery in another city). I did not see that part of the show. There was also another location at Tusculum Prague, which was an artists studio and co-working space about 30 minutes walking distance away. I indeed take the time to walk through a large park to Tusculum. There was one “artwork” in the form of a couple of vegetable patches equipped with handmade ceramic labels announcing where the cucumbers and carrots are located… if it wasn´t for the biennale labels, one could easily mistake this for a part of every day life. In this case, the way was the goal rather than the artwork. Taking the gallery visitor outside of the gallery, through a nice park and into another cozy-arty space with a calm courtyard, cafe, a small stream and overall nice and peaceful atmosphere where life and art intersect.
