Untitled, 2004, National Gallery, Prague
Performance description:
On Saturday 20.11.2004 we came as regular visitors to Veletrzni Palace (permanent exhibition of the 20th century art of the National Gallery, Prague). All of us together and publicly made excrement on the floor within the section of Czech Slovak art of the 60′, cleaned ourselves with toilet paper and left the gallery without any notice.
Participants:
Ondrej Brody, Jiri Franta, Vaclav Magid, Marek Meduna, Petr Motejzik
Some comments concerning the performance:
The National Gallery should be one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the Czech Republic. Its current condition is worrying us and we are trying not to be indifferent about this situation. We don’t agree with its direction, how it is represented by Milan Knizak.
The present state of the National Gallery is forcing us to think about museums in general and their function within the society.
We think that the opinion about the National Gallery and the expression of this opinion is a personal matter of each citizen, although it is important to remember that the National Gallery is a state institution.
The multiplication of individual actions within our performance creates an atmosphere of a campaign.
This action was presented as a performance, therefore, as an art action.
The form of presentation is certainly vulgar and of course exceeded the boundaries of decent behavior.
We want to ask a question, since we are not exhibitionists why did we exceeded these boundaries (?), what was behind our action that disgraced us in front of the public (?). We want to make an analogy between our action and the behavior of the director of the National Gallery.
It is a question of its own if a bigger offense is the exceeding of the boundaries of decency or violation of exclusivity and monopoly of the National Gallery.
We feel responsibility only in front of the laws and public of the Czech Republic, nowhere else.
Everything mentioned are only some observations concerning our performance. Art action is totally peculiar therefore there is no need to consecrate it with its purposes.
Ondrej Brody, Jiri Franta, Vaclav Magid, Marek Meduna, Petr Motejzik
