This group exhibition of Czech-Norwegian art about disappearing birds focuses on the fascination with the world of birds, natural sounds and scientific research. The creators approach birds as a key phenomenon that reflects our interconnectedness with nature and seek new ways to listen, perceive and relate to our surroundings.
The focal point of this exhibition is the fusion of art, science and philosophy inspired by the work of Czech artist Olga Karlíková, who explored the sounds and movements of the natural world in detail from the 1960s. Karlíková herself, known not only for her drawings inspired by birdsong, captured the soundtracks of nature in a manner similar to seismographic recordings, where space and time are not abstract categories, but tangible and infinite dimensions of meditations and the temporality of nature. The title of the exhibition in turn is a reference to the poet Emily Dickinson, who not only saw birds as creatures representing freedom, but also as ephemeral species.
The local artistic approaches are linked to specific localities in the Czech Republic, which are trying to return birds to their original place, whether in Liberec, the Kozmice bird meadows in Opava, or in southern Bohemia near Třeboň. Norwegian stories on the other hand tell of noisy islands (Røst and Selvær) that are gradually becoming quieter and quieter due to the loss of birds and their food.
The exhibition starts in the dark, where viewers can turn off their visual senses and instead prick up their ears. The dark also prepares them to listen to sounds on the second floor of the exhibition, where from early dawn, however, they can also gradually start to see different species of birds. This exhibition is not just centred on birds, but also on human responsibility and the ability to actively listen to the world around us. The artworks inspired by birds create a deep dialogue important for reflecting on our relationship with nature and focus our attention on what birds, their sounds and their disappearance can tell us.
The following artists have contributed to the exhibition: Eva Bakkeslett, Nikola Brabcová and Karin Šrubařová, Jan Fabián, Pavel Jestřáb, Olga Karlíková, Michal Kindernay, Magdaléna Manderlová, Hana Puchová and Elin Már Øyen Vister.
