PRESS RELEASE
Exhibition 1984: George Orwell and Czechoslovakia (25 June - 25 September 2024)
Prague, 18 June 2024 - The Museum of the Memory of the 20th Century has prepared an outdoor exhibition on the life of the writer George Orwell and Czechoslovak reflection on his work. The exhibition also brings to life the shape of Orwell's 1984 in Czechoslovakia, the repression of opponents of the communist regime and expressions of solidarity with political prisoners.
"We are dealing not only with exile and samizdat editions of Orwell's texts, especially the novel Animal Farm and the novel 1984, their creation and dissemination in an unfree society, but also with works of art influenced by the work of this British writer," says Petr Blažek, director of the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century, who is also the editor of the catalogue.
Museum Kampa, Prague City Tourism, the Orwell Society (www.orwellsociety.com) and the Libri prohibiti library also contributed to the exhibition. The exhibition will be on view in Prague's Kampa Park, opposite Werich Villa, from 25 June to 25 September 2024.
The opening will take place on 25 June at 6 pm. After the official opening of the exhibition, a Czech-English catalogue will be presented in the Werich Villa, which contains a number of unique photographs and documents. The publication will be presented by the co-authors of the exhibition Petr Blažek, Petr Koura, Ladislav Nagy and Kryštof Zeman. The opening of the exhibition will also be attended by the President of the British Orwell Society, Quentin Kopp.
Adopted son G. "We associate George Orwell mainly with his views on Stalin and totalitarianism. But Orwell was against any kind of oppression, whether its originator was Stalin, Hitler or Mussolini. He was a man who fought for all the oppressed and those who found themselves on the "wrong side" through no fault of their own."
The exhibition is held with the financial support of the Capital City of Prague. The exhibition is supported by the financial support of the City of Prague and under the auspices of the Deputy Mayor of the City of Prague Jiří Pospíšil, who supplies: "George Orwell is one of the most important writers of the 20th century. It is significant that contemporary totalitarian regimes also perceive the power of Orwell's message. Some are trying to suppress the dissemination of his books, while others are distorting his work in order to change its original meaning. This only goes to show how Orwell's ideas are relevant and powerful in the present day. They deserve our attention today, when we are once again faced with efforts to restrict freedoms and spread disinformation, not only in distant places, but also in democratic Europe and in its immediate vicinity."
The Mayor of Prague 1, Terezie Radoměřská, also granted her patronage to the exhibition: 'I am glad that our district can participate in the realisation of an exhibition that commemorates not only the work of George Orwell, but also the bravery of people who stood up to the totalitarian regime. This exhibition is an important contribution to maintaining historical memory and raising awareness of the values of freedom and democracy."
Accreditation: until 24 June 2024 3:00 p.m. by e-mail: info@mpxx.cz.
Contact: Head of the Director's Office Erika Stařecká, erika.starecka@mpxx.cz, tel.: + 420/603 860 454.