After 150 years, carefree revelers are back in Portheimka
31/01/2023
The first day of February will be exactly 150 years since the last meeting of the men’s recessist association Schlaraffia in the baroque summer house Portheimka. On this occasion, the city district of Prague 5, together with the curator Petr Hájk, is organizing an exhibition under the name IN ARTE VOLUPTAS, over which the councilor for culture Ing. Štěpán Rattay (Pirates).
“We are opening Portheimka again to new forms of art. Hedonists have a different view of the world, they reject the everyday, thereby provoking and awakening curiosity in other people. Visitors can also look forward to beautiful exhibition spaces. The paintings are installed not only in the gallery, but also in representative spaces, so the Reiners will also be able to admire them bacchanalia, which are in an oval marble Sale.” says councilor for culture Ing. Štěpán Rattay (Pirates).
The association, whose name probably comes from the German word slur-affe, which means “carefree hedonist”, was founded in 1859 in Prague. Its basic philosophy is to support friendship, art and humor. The association’s motto is the Latin sentence In arte Voluptas, that is, there is pleasure in art.
The association is deliberately not involved in everyday life and no ideology. On the contrary, it demarcates itself against everyday life, so that its members can at least for a while forget about ordinary worries and relax. Therefore, it is forbidden to discuss topics that can lead to a dispute, such as politics and religion, at association meetings. Schlaraffia is primarily understood as a game.
“We have prepared a group exhibition, the aim of which is to awaken the pleasure of art in the audience. We present a selection of strong contemporary figurative painters and follow up on the exhibition Contemporary Tendencies in Figurative Painting, which took place as part of the multi-genre festival What the Day Won’t Give Me Night in the Gabriel Loci Monastery in June of last year. Visitors to the exhibition in Portheim will also see sculptures and digital art“, says exhibition curator Petr Hájek.
The exhibition will be on view from February 2 to March 31, 2023 in the Portheimka Gallery. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 13:00 to 18:00.