Ora et lege
Ed Atkins, Kamilla Bischof, Jesse Darling, Liam Gillick, Martin Kohout, Florian Meisenberg, Slavs and Tatars
Broumov Monastery, Czech Republic
19. 06. – 31. 09. 2021
Exhibiting Artists: Ed Atkins, Kamilla Bischof, Jesse Darling, Liam Gillick, Martin Kohout, Florian Meisenberg, Slavs and Tatars
Curator: Monika Čejková
Photos: Educational and Cultural Center Broumov and Tomáš Souček
Graphic Design: Jakub Samek
Media: Art Agenda (review by Emily McDermott), Artalk (review by Tina Poliačková), Art & Antiques,Art Viewer, O Fluxo, KubaParis, Agent d‘Écarts, Artificiata
The exhibition project Ora et lege is a dialogue between contemporary art and the essence of the teachings of the Benedictines, the oldest religious order in Western Christianity. The venue of the exhibition is the Benedictine monastery in Broumov, where artists Ed Atkins, Kamilla Bischof, Jesse Darling, Liam Gillick, Martin Kohout, Florian Meisenberg and Slavs and Tatars have prepared works referring to the history, knowledge, teachings and spiritual culture of the Benedictines. The author of the project is the exhibition curator Monika Čejková, who prepared it based on her discussions with Archabbot of Břevnov, Petr Prokop Siostrzonek OSB.
The title of the exhibition Ora et lege (pray and read) paraphrases the famous motto of Saint Benedict, ora et labora (pray and work), and represents a key factor in the selection of the exhibiting artists. These are internationally renowned artists who in addition to their fine art production have been involved for a long time in writing their own texts. The exhibition touches on topics associated with the monastery, but it also reflects a narrative turn in the visual arts, whereby authorial writing in various forms is brought to the fore, combining different literary forms and genres such as prose, poetry, drama, fiction or “uncreative writing”.
From the very beginning, Ora et lege project has been conceived for a long time as a small biennial. Every two years the main exhibition will take place in the Broumov Monastery and in the ‘‘odd’’ year there will be lectures, smaller exhibition projects and a workshop in the Czech Republic and abroad. More info oraetlege.com