Solo exhibition by Marat Gelman, “Gelman - a Jew”

Date: 6.3.2026 - 19.3.2026

March 6, 5:30 pm
Solo exhibition by Marat Gelman, “Gelman - a Jew”.
Marat Gelman, one of the most prominent and influential curators of the post-Soviet space, presents his first solo exhibition of visual works.
The works shown in the exhibition are part of a large-scale group project recently presented with great success in Berlin under the title “Bad / Good Jew”. As the title suggests, the project addresses questions of Jewish identity, personal roots, and the author’s inner dialogue with his own sense of belonging.
For Marat Gelman, the theme of Jewish identity became particularly acute after the tragic events of October 7. He is not alone in this. Today, many people are experiencing a similar inner shift: those who previously did not emphasize their Jewishness are beginning to speak about it openly. In Israel, such people are referred to as the “awakened”.
For Marat, this experience proved so powerful that, as someone who has spent his life working with the artistic statements of others - as a gallerist, collector, and curator - he could not entrust the expression of his own feelings to anyone else. He did it himself.
In this process, artificial intelligence became both a tool and a language through which the exhibition took shape.
As part of the exhibition, Marat Gelman will host several evenings of conversation - with those who have long known him from his previous work, and with new people he is only beginning to meet here in the Czech Republic.

March 6 (Friday), 6:30 pm
Participation in the ritual welcoming of the Sabbath - Kabbalat Shabbat.
After the service - Marat Gelman’s talk on “Jewish happiness”.
Author’s title of the meeting: “Jewish Happiness - Life as a Lesson”.

March 7 (Saturday), 4:00 pm
Lecture by Marat Gelman, “Bad / Good Art - How We Evaluate Art”.

March 9, 6:30 pm
“A Conversation in Beseder”
A public meeting between Marat Gelman and Czech artists from the group Tvrdohlaví - the very same “Stubborn Ones” who in the 1980s found themselves, to put it mildly, in opposition to the “leading role of the party”, and who today are rightly considered classics of Czech art.
There are many points of connection between Marat Gelman’s experience and the history of Tvrdohlaví - from artistic dissent to an existential stance of refusing to accept aggression and pressure as the norm. It was precisely this sense of shared ground that gave rise to the idea of the conversation.
No, Marat Gelman does not speak Czech.
Yes, professional interpretation will, of course, be provided.
Details of each meeting with M. Gelman will be published separately.