Argus & Medusa: Hope in Difficult Times

The exhibition "Argus & Medusa" draws from the story of a two-hundred-year-old painting still considered one of the most powerful works in art history. Théodore Géricault's monumental canvas "Raft of the Medusa" (1818-1819), now in the Louvre, has captivated artists and creators across cultures and continents since its creation. This exhibition shows how the work inspires the imagination of contemporary visual artists and reflects the reality of today's world.

In July 1818, the young Géricault locked himself in his Paris studio, obsessed with a recent tragedy that shook French society: after the frigate Méduse wrecked off the coast of West Africa, 147 crew members found themselves on a makeshift raft without adequate supplies. The rescue boats and the captain abandoned them on the open sea. Over thirteen days, the castaways became victims and perpetrators of violence, murder, and cannibalism - only fifteen survived. Géricault ultimately captured the moment when the survivors desperately wave at the rescue ship Argus, which remains only a tiny dot on the horizon. Argus and Medusa - a moment between hope and despair.

The exhibiting artists understand Géricault's work as a metaphor for contemporary crises - wars, pandemics, migration crises, climate change, and personal trauma - while also as a reminder of human resilience, empathy, and solidarity. British playwright Tom Stoppard summed up the painting's message this way: "If we don't stick together, we're in trouble."

Curators: Leoš Válka, Otto M. Urban

Exhibiting artists: Bill Viola, Nikita Kadan, David LaChapelle, Kader Attia, Elfie Semotan, Jakub Špaňhel, Miquel Barceló, Hu Jieming, John Beard, Wolfe von Lenkiewicz, Conrad Botes, Martin Gerboc, Sylvie Choisnel, Banksy, Tom de Freston, Jason deCaires Taylor, Adad Hannah, Joel-Peter Witkin, Karol Radziszewski, Paul McCarthy, Monika & Bohuš Kubinští, Pierre-Désiré Guillemet & Étienne Antoine Eugène Ronjat

Special presentation of Julian Barnes' literary work "The Wreck of the Medusa".