Four dozen Czech and Italian artists will present themselves in Milan

Prague/Milan - Nearly forty Czech and Italian artists joined the ART IN-BOX exhibition, which starts today at the Czech Center (ČC) in Milan, Italy. The exhibition presents a dual play between the box and its contents, as well as between the size of the exhibition hall and the minuteness of individual works, said center spokesperson Ivana Síglerová.
    The exhibition originated on the initiative of curator Susanna Horvatovičová, who worked with various boxes and containers. The project focuses on the theme of travel and the concept of a collection of art boxes. According to the curator, the exhibition becomes a game between the conceptual and the concrete object, linking traditional techniques with experimental media, video, and post-production work.
    There is also clear inspiration from the so-called "ready-made" objects of Marcel Duchamp. The French artist became famous as a forerunner of conceptual art, with one of his most well-known "ready-mades" being the controversial Fountain, which is an overturned and signed urinal.
    "The form of artistic objects, Duchamp's ready-mades or Fluxus Boxes, remains relevant and is once again becoming the center of interest for the emerging generation of the youngest artists," stated Václav Šedý, director of the Czech Center in Milan.
    Boxes and containers have taken various forms in the history of art, from assemblages to collages and the creation of objects. Later, the box became a multifunctional element in the fields of advertising and design.
    Czech artists participating in the project include musician and visual artist Michal Cáb, performer Filip Nerad, visual artists Jiří David, Lucie Skřivánková, and Klára Vystrčilová, as well as sculptor Dagmar Šubrtová. Contemporary Italian artists invited to the exhibition section titled "made in Italy" include Alessio Ancillai, Michal Blumenfeld, Daniele Contavalli, Hektor Mamet, and Giuliano Pastori.
    The traveling Czech-Italian exhibition has already been presented in Brno, Prague, and Rome. In Milan, interested parties can view it until the end of January.
    Czech centers represent the Czech cultural scene in various fields worldwide, including visual arts, architecture, design, fashion, performing arts, film, music, and literature. Czechia has 21 cultural representations across three continents.