Each edition of ‘We Are Memory’ by Memory of Nations Theatre in Prague showcases diverse art genres, from drama via dance to fine art. This year’s performance is a collaboration with students from Charles University’s Department of Art Education, blending visual installations, video art, acting, and dance.
The venue, Fair Trade Palace (Headquarters National Gallery in Prague), holds poignant historical significance as a Nazi assembly point for victims before deportations to concentration camps. Students encountered powerful stories of individuals whose life experiences offer insights into dark chapters of history. Some of them have integrated visual arts into their professional lives, such as academic painter Helga Hošková-Weissová (1929) and graphic designer Jana Dubová (1926). This duo is complemented by a doctor of natural sciences Michaela Vidláková (1936), Czech historian Toman Brod (1929) and the renowned dance choreographer and former artistic director of legendary Laterna Magika Theatre, Zdeněk Prokeš (1956). When meeting with the students, all of these survivors mentioned how lucky they were to have stayed with their mother, to have found love, to have survived, and this inspired us to name the performance „Luck“, emphasizing that not everyone had it.
The performance is produced with the support of the State Culture Fund of the Czech Republic, the Holocaust Victim Endowment Fund, Prague City Hall, Theater Na de Dam, National Gallery in Prague, Art re Use, Charles University – Department of Art Education.
