Face Masks Exhibition “Držíme spolu”/ “We stick together”
After the Coronavirus hit the world, ‘wearing a face mask outside the home’ is obligatory in many countries. Face masks become one of our everyday life things to protect ourselves and our surroundings from the contagious Coronavirus. Under this circumstance, ‘is it possible to make face mask as a work of art?’
The answer is, “Yes!”. The National Museum of Czech Republic in Prague launched a face mask exhibition, called “Držíme spolu” (“We Stick Together”), on May 25th and will set to run until September 30th, 2020. This exhibition presents the various design of face masks from hand-painted face masks, sewn masks, masks for children, masks for women with lipstick, to masks for lovers.
This exhibition aims to document the artifacts from the pandemic period and also to support the mutual solidarity to fight the pandemic. The participants of this exhibition are designers, clothing companies, custom tailors, and people who create home-made face masks.
The face masks are stunning with their unique and colourful motifs. For example, an artistical design of face mask with the map of Prague’s public transport painted on the surface, or with floral pattern embroidery, or with surreal painting.
These face masks are also displayed with the interesting stories behind the creation, such as a face mask that created by a teenager living with autism, a face mask from the shirt that wore on the wedding day, or the face mask from traditional home-sewing of Czechs.
Soon after measures and curfew related to pandemic were announced in the mid of March, many Czechs began to sew home-made face masks. Even they coordinate the volunteers via social media, with hashtags #SijeCeleCesko #AllCzechRepublicSews. The face masks were distributed not only for their friends and relatives but also for hospitals, nursing homes, and other social institutions.
In contrast with the modern art that separates art from everyday life, contemporary art often departs from everyday life things, like the face masks in this exhibition. The contemporary art defies the distinction between art aesthetics object and ordinary cultural artifacts. It also resists the elitism in modern art. In contemporary art, everyone can participate in art. The ordinary cultural object can be accessed and understood by everyone because the signs and references are familiar.
In addition, the face mask exhibition “We Stick Together” also capable to be an effective media to shape the awareness of wearing face-mask in the pandemic period.
Czech Museum Opens Exhibition Dedicated to Face Masks
