Forty years of Czech society through the lens. The 2025/2026 academic year at the G18 Gallery will be kicked off by photographer and pedagogue Jan Jindra with his exhibition HOMO FABER.
The exhibition will present two sets of photographs of departing cars that were captured on Friday afternoons from the same spot in Prague — at the intersection of Mezibranská and Žitná streets in 1985 and 2025. They’re separated not only by time, the contrast between the past and present, but also by how the role of the photographer has changed.
The first series of photos were taken as part of the Chalupáři project at FAMU in 1985. They capture the emptying of Prague at a time when people were leaving the rush of the capital city and were seeking shelter in their cottages and cabins. The black-and-white photographs do not only document the cars, but also the reactions of the car crews to the presence of the camera. In 2025, the author returns with a series of color digital photographs.
Through the four decades, Jan Jindra explores the transformation of Czech society, visual culture, and the relationship to automobilism. The exhibition concept of a total of 40 photos, captured with a conscious resignation to the classic aesthetics of photography, reflects the clash of two different worlds — advertising slogans and messages on vehicles reflect today’s era full of paradoxes and unrest. And while cars used to serve primarily as a medium of escape, today they are a symbol of status, consumerism, and personal identity.
Exhibition curator: Vít Jakubíček