37 Photographers at Na chmelnici (19. 9. – 15. 10. 1989) In the 1980s Junior club Na chmelnici was without question one of the most famous cultural establishments charting contemporary work. As a result of the wide range of genres it worked with, its dramaturgic enterprises came under the microscope of the enhanced interest of State Security. Over time, the frequency of “monitored” events reached a peak and became the permanent monitoring of club activities. Thus, the comrades began to rampage from time to time, but it was never clear from their actions (which probably also included the secret police), whether they really had a purpose, or whether they were only meant to show activity. There were several more extreme situations (there was even a gun pointed between someone’s shoulder blades, but this took place in a context that to this day invokes a combination of feelings of absurdity and comedy), but they succeeded to push through and carry on in “jolts”. Of course the sword of Damocles hung above the activities of the club throughout the 80s. It was anticipated for the whole period that the suspension of activities might occur. However, we instead directed our “vigilance” at the possibility of the artificial liquidation of problems between concerts or theater presentations. However, paradoxically the last drop in the eyes of the secret police was the exhibit “37 Photographers…” which led to the decision “Chemlnice is done until the end of 1989!” However, we only learned of this ten years later…

Recollections of the dramaturge: At the beginning of 89 my friends Jarda Prokop and Pavel Már came by. They had prepared a nice speech: “as it is the 150th anniversary of the birth of photography, as all of Europe celebrates with amazing exhibits, as in Prague for many millions they only prepare exhibits on established photographers, as there isn’t anything about contemporary photography….” Those “as” were enough that we right away began to truly interest ourselves with it. My requirement was that the exhibit couldn’t have the size of a normally designed exhibit in the foyer, but that it must be conceived for all of the space of the club and it must be prepared content wise by someone who could really “pull off” the curating, so that it was not just a shout into the darkness from the “spite establishment”. After a short debate we agreed that the one person who is competent to put such a thing together is Anne Fárová. And thus the Dr. became the commissar of the exhibit. The exhibit was not restrained to the list of state-supported events. Therefore the production left the realm of low-budget projects and became a no-budget project. The basic plan of the exhibition space and the basic arrangement system came from what the building gave. The architects of the exhibit, Petr Pištěk and Šimon Caban, substituted creativity for the lack of money, and thereby a dignified exhibition space “unprecedented” up to that time arose. The exhibit catalogue and program were graphically designed in a collaboration between Karel Haloun, Michal Cihlár and Joska Skalník. Foreign journalists regarded the exhibit as the pinnacle of the Czech celebration of the year in photography and as proof that photography still exists in Czechoslovakia and that its creators are competent to adequately continue the tradition of famous Czech photographers. The official media kept silent about it. Despite this, the exhibit, in comparison with the official exhibit which was lauded in the Czech media, was not in need of a thousand appreciative visitors. The exhibit did not affect mainstream artists, as they most likely did not even learn of it in their communist lodges. However, it thoroughly inflamed the secret police, whose intentions and priorities changed a few weeks later on 17. November 1989….