Dernissage + Book Launch

The first weekend in February will also be the last weekend to visit the exhibitions I Went Through That Door and I Never Came Back (MeetFactory Gallery) and Jan Matýsek: Fuj Tajxl!! Stick Your Finger Through Death. (Kostka Gallery). On Saturday, February 4, curators Tereza Jindrová and Ján Gajdušek will present them in guided tours with the participation of some of the artists (Jan Matýsek). There will also be lectures connected with the exhibition I Went Through That Door and I Never Came Back on the topic of drug psychedelic religiosity (Jan Blahůšek) and the relationship between drugs and art (Piotr Sikora).

On the same day, we will also be launching the publication Other Knowledge: Text, Images, Documents, which maps the outcomes of the three-year project Other Knowledge. The exhibition framework for the MeetFactory gallery was prepared by curators Eva B. Riebová and Tereza Jindrová. 

➢ Jan Blahůšek: Psychedelic Religiosity
➢ lecture 
One of the mechanisms of the therapeutic effect of psychedelics is the so-called mystical experience. In some countries it is common to use psychedelics as part of religious practice. In South America, this is mainly the traditional shamanic-medical use of ayahuasca or the rituals of syncretistic Christian churches. These churches are already legally active in the USA and their local counterpart is the Peyote Native American Church. In Africa, it is again the iboga religion of the Bwiti. The first attempts to combine psychedelia and Buddhism are taking place in the USA and Switzerland. It's only a matter of time before the status of psychedelic religiosity also begins to be addressed more in Europe, which gave birth to Albert Hoffman and his LSD mysticism. We will be guided through the topic by Mgr. Jan Blahůšek from the Czech Psychedelic Society. The lecture will be held in Czech language. 

➢ Piotr Sikora: High Art or Art Under the Influence
➢ lecture 
Art that influences and changes your perception like psychoactive substances. Psychonauts and psychonauts, night birds and somnambulists as well as all lovers of breaking the gates of perception are invited to a lecture on art inspired by altered states of consciousness. What do art and drugs have in common? Why do we associate psychoactive substances with artistic bohemia and is it just a cliché? I will try to answer these and many other questions with examples of works by artists from different parts of the world.
The lecture will be held in English without interpretation. 
 

➢ Other Knowledge: Texts, Images, Documents 
(ed. Tereza Jindrová, Eva B. Riebová)
➢ Launch of the publication 
The publication Other Knowledge covers the exhibition projects and research activities that were part of the long-term dramaturgical project of MeetFactory Gallery called Other Knowledge. The book summarizes 10 exhibitions curated by Tereza Jindrová and Eva B. Riebová between 2020 and 2022. The publication contains photo documentation, curatorial texts, interviews with artists, illustrations and other accompanying materials expanding on the individual themes of Other Knowledge. 
 

16:30 guided tour of the exhibition I Went Through That Door and I Never Came Back
17:30 Guided tour of Jan Matýsek's exhibition 
18:00 Jan Blahůšek: Psychedelic Religiosity
19:00 Piotr Sikora: High Art or Art Under Influence - lecture 
20:00 Publication launch 

free entry 

gallery opening hours: 
Monday-Sunday 13:00-20:00