The Czech and Slovak National Gallery will send a joint project to the Biennale in Venice

Prague – At the 61st Biennale in Venice next year, the National Gallery Prague (NGP) and the Slovak National Gallery will have a joint project. A jury appointed by both institutions selected a proposal by four artists titled The Silence of the Mole. The project uniquely develops Czech-Slovak relations and will be internationally comprehensible, Jana Holcová from NGP communicated to CTK today.

The project is led by the artistic duo Alex Selmeci and Tomáš Kocka Jusko, artist Jakub Jansa, and artist and curator Peter Sit. The central character is Mr. K., a weary actor who has portrayed the character of the Mole for decades. He is sent to represent the Czech and Slovak Republics as a diplomatically acceptable, politically neutral figure, who nonetheless embodies reproach, silence, and a confused identity.

"The Silence of the Mole develops the theme of relations in the realm of Czech-Slovak coexistence, collective memory, and ecological exhaustion," Holcová stated.

Czechia and Slovakia will have a joint pavilion in Venice next year. Both national galleries announced a competition for a joint project, with 17 proposals submitted. The Silence of the Mole, according to the evaluation, stood out in its handling of the pavilion's space and the context of the joint presentation. It combines historical reflection with a current critical perspective.

The jury appreciated, according to Holcová, that the project balances the work of all participants from both countries, as well as its interdisciplinary format, combining film, performance, and installation.

The curator of the 61st Biennale is the Cameroonian-Swiss curator Kojo Kouoh, and the artists will honor the theme of minor tones that Kouoh chose despite her recent passing, Holcová stated.

The International Art Biennale in Venice is a global forum and open field for exhibitions and trends in art. It presents every two years in national pavilions and at an exhibition under curatorial guidance in Giardini and Arsenale. In 2026, it will take place from May 9 to November 23.

At the Venice Biennale 2024, Czechia presented the project by Eva Koťátková titled A Giraffe's Heart in Captivity is Twelve Kilograms Lighter, which can now be seen at the Veletržní Palace in Prague.