Three newly opened Prague exhibits Orwell would have bought a ticket to

Three exhibitions in Prague are circling around the same uneasy question: what happens to a society when it stops supporting the institutions that tell its story? And how do we cope when this story gets out of control?

With Czech public media under growing political pressure, cultural budgets tightening and journalism in a dire strait, a trio of newly opened – and unrelated – exhibits is reflecting on what could be lost, and what should be saved.

Running from March 6 to August 23, DOX’s Hit by News exhibition is one of the staple Holešovice contemporary art center’s main events of the year.

Presenting part of Zurich-based Peter and Annette Nobel’s extensive collection and put together by renowned Swiss curator Christoph Doswald, the highly anticipated exhibition looks at the ever-lasting fruitful dialogue between the media and the arts.

Hit By News “offers a rare opportunity to examine the relationship between art and the press from a historical perspective spanning the last century and to discover perhaps lesser-known works by world-renowned artists,” says DOX artistic director Michaela Šilpochová.

Among them, expect works by the likes of Georges Braque, Fernand Leger, Kazimir Malevich, Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Le Corbusier, Willem de Kooning, Alberto Giacometti, Dennis Hopper – and many others.

Regular admission is CZK 330, with discount and student tickets at CZK 180.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Radio Prague International is hosting a special exhibition looking back at its eventful history and storied past.

Running until this Sunday, March 15, in Vinohrady, the exhibit Prague Calling the World! 90 Years on Air takes visitors back to the origins of the beloved foreign broadcasting service of Czech Radio, founded in the mid-1930’s to counter Nazi propaganda.

“Today, Radio Prague International is truly a multimedia service… I am proud of the fact that it annually draws 8 million visits, and I personally consider it to be a highly effective tool for promoting the good name of the Czech Republic abroad, for reaching business leaders and tourists and serving as a great cultural platform,” says director general of Czech Radio René Zavoral.

Showcasing rare archival photographs, technical documents, letters from listeners around the world, portraits of notable journalists and examples of groundbreaking news coverage, the exhibition provides a fascinating walk-back through all the key events of modern Czech history through the specific lens of Radio Prague International.

With its very existence now threatened by the current government, the exhibit is a must-see before it becomes too late.

Free entrance.

Others have problems, too.

Until March 29, the Prague City Gallery’s House of Photography presents Free National Gallery – Description of a Struggle, looking at the attacks suffered by cultural institutions and the art scene in Slovakia over the past several years.

Since the dramatic comeback to power of Robert Fico in late 2023, the Slovak government has launched an all-out attack on the country’s cultural sector, with the Slovak National Gallery (SNG) among the first prized targets of the authorities’ crackdown.

“The events surrounding the destruction of culture were a truly wild experience, but they also had their bright sides,” says former SNG director Alexandra Kusá, sacked by Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová in 2024.

“We discovered what is important, what it means to be courageous and what our limits are. We also understand how solidarity can help in such moments, which is why the offer from our colleagues at GHMP to organize an exhibition is not only a powerful gesture of collegiality, but also an exhibition piece in itself.”

At the border between documentary exhibition and activism, the exhibit is designed as a “living artistic environment”, offering not only knowledge about what happened but solutions for how to respond to attempts at intimidation, threats and censorship.

Regular entrance for CZK 150, discount tickets for students and seniors at CZK 60.