Prague and the ministry will abandon the Prague House of Photography project

Prague - The Prague magistrate and the Ministry of Culture are likely to abandon the Prague House of Photography (PHP) project, which aimed to establish a broadly-focused organization dedicated to photography in the center of Prague. Both institutions will probably withdraw from the public benefit company they established with PHP a few years ago. The state and the city jointly invested 20 million Czech crowns into the reconstruction of the building designated for the future organization's headquarters.
    The building on Revoluční Street, where PHP was supposed to be located, has been renovated for over three years, but it still hasn’t been approved for use. PHP is preparing exhibitions in alternative spaces, with another one set to open on December 10. At Gallery Deset in the Waldes Museum in Prague Vršovice, works by 15 American photographers from Pittsburgh will be showcased.
    The approval of the premises has allegedly been long delayed due to complaints from the apartment owners in the building. "The situation with the apartment owners has already clarified," said PHP director Eva Hejdová to ČTK. Nevertheless, representatives of Prague justify their position primarily with these complications.
    "We were prepared for the ministry to withdraw from the public benefit company. However, no one has clearly told us that yet," she stated. She also has no specific information from the magistrate about whether they still want to support PHP.
    Councilor for Culture Milan Richter (ODS) told ČTK that the capital city will likely want to withdraw from the founding charter of the public benefit company, just like the Ministry of Culture. According to him, the reason lies in the aforementioned complications with the approval of the exhibition spaces. Richter mentioned that the former director intervened in the project to the extent that things in the premises now do not correspond to the original project.
    The building on Revoluční Street, where the Prague House of Photography is supposed to be located, was transferred from Prague 1 to the capital city at the beginning of this year. Reportedly, the delays in the approval process were also a reason. According to unofficial information, the residents of the building demanded money in exchange for their consent to the approval, which Prague was unwilling to agree to.
    The beginnings of PHP trace back to 1989, when the Free Photography Activity was established in the spring - an association of photographers aiming primarily to find suitable spaces for exhibitions. In the early 1990s, it evolved into the Prague House of Photography foundation; after its dissolution, the mission of the activity and foundation was taken over by the civil association Prague House of Photography. In 2005, the public benefit company of the same name was established, and the association simultaneously renamed itself to Fotoforum Prague.
    Discussions about the project for Revoluční began as early as 2002, and it was intended to become a generously designed institution for the best possible presentation, creation, research, and education in photography.
    Nearly two years ago, the long-time director of PHP, Eva Hodek, left her position. Members of the board of the Fotoforum company claimed that her actions jeopardized the future of the new headquarters project. Hodek, who had been behind the Prague House of Photography for nearly ten years, protested against this. Representatives of the magistrate on the board were also against the proposal to dismiss Hodek and supported her in her management role. However, at the beginning of January 2008, Hodek submitted her resignation.
    She was succeeded by Eva Hejdová, who started with the belief that PHP still had the support of the city and the ministry. She anticipated, however, that changes in the founding charter of the public benefit company would occur. Prague had also previously stated that it would like to have greater influence over the company’s management due to delays in opening. Now, however, the project, for which it funded 15 million crowns, is likely to be abandoned.