Out of Town!

This exhibition, celebrating Jindřich Štreit's 80th birthday, presents a unique double portrait of this extraordinary personality – as both a photographer and a cultural organizer. However, it is certainly not a retrospective of someone who is slowing down. On the contrary. The author's exhibition Out of Town!, taking place from May 21 to September 6, 2026, at the Olomouc Museum of Art, shows that vitality, an interest in others, and a desire to be active can accompany a person throughout life, regardless of age.

The exhibition presents two important aspects of Štreit's work: his photographic work of the 1980s and his long-standing curatorial work at the former school in Sovinec. Both are united by one theme – a deep interest in people and their everyday lives.

About the Exhibition

EXHIBITION: Out of Town! Jindřich Štreit's photographic and curatorial work

DATE: 21 05 – 06 09 2026

OPENING: 21 05 2026 at 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Museum of Modern Art, Salon and Cabinet

CURATORS: Štěpánka Bieleszová, Arkadiusz Gola

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: Štěpánka Bieleszová

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Petr Šmalec

PREPRESS: Martin Navrátil

INSTALLATION: Vlastimil Sedláček, Filip Šindelář, Radka Žáková

COLLABORATION:

Department of Collections and Documentation (Zdeněk Sodoma), Restoration Department (Jakub Barna, Veronika Langer Klimszová, Anna Píšťková, Gabriela Polívková)

The exhibition was created in collaboration with Galeria Fotografii Miasta Rzeszowa and Muzeum Górnictwa Węglowego w Zabrzu.

THANKS TO: Piotr Piech, Galeria Fotografii Miasta Rzeszowa

Museum open: Wednesday–Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM

ACCOMPANYING EXHIBITION PROJECTS:

Lenka Zavadilová. Lubawka Railway Station | May 23 – Sep 13, 2026 | Amadeus Coffee & Wine

Zuzana Fajmonová. Pop Art | Mar 2 – Jun 30, 2026 | Bistro Central | 1st floor

People First

The first part of the exhibition presents previously unpublished photographs from the 1980s, taken in the former Sudetenland. The author took them at the time but never exhibited them. They are only now coming to life after many decades.

This is not just a document of the countryside before 1989. Štreit captures interpersonal relationships, traditions, joys, and difficulties of everyday life. In his images, the village becomes a miniature model of the entire society. Here we see cohesion and loneliness, fatigue and hope.

What is essential, however, is that his photographs are neither sensationalism nor critical distance. They arose from a personal relationship, from trust and long-term contact with local people. Štreit was never on the sidelines. He was part of the environment he photographed. And it is this humanity that gives his images power even after decades.

Jindřich Štreit, untitled, 1982–1983

The Courage to Create Even in Difficult Times

The second part of the exhibition recalls Štreit's curatorial work in Sovinec, where, from 1974, he created a meeting place for artists outside official cultural centers. During the normalization period, under the supervision of censorship and state power, he managed to build a space for free exchange of opinions and creation.

1982 brought a dramatic turning point – he was accused of slandering the republic. This experience would have broken many. For him, however, it strengthened his resolve to continue. Even though he could only exhibit to a limited extent and mainly in alternative spaces, he never stopped creating or supporting others.

Marie Blabolilová, untitled, 1988–1989. Collection of Jindřich Štreit

Activity as a Way of Life

Jindřich Štreit's life shows that activity is not a matter of age, but of attitude. Throughout his life, he has been interested in social issues, in people on the margins of society, in those who are not very visible. He photographed seniors, people with disabilities, people in difficult life situations. Always with respect and empathy.

His story can be an inspiration: each of us can be active within our possibilities. Someone helps through photography, another through volunteering, caring for loved ones, or showing interest in neighbors. The important thing is not to remain indifferent.

The exhibition Out of Town! thus fundamentally does not look back into the past. Rather, it speaks of how, even at eighty, one can be full of energy, interest, and a desire to create. And that an active life, openness to others, and a willingness to help give human old age depth and meaning.