21. 12. 2023 – 16. 02. 2024, opening 19. 12. 2023 7pm

The exhibition project How to Dream from Nine to Five by the StonyTellers collective is the final contribution to the programme, working with the concept of radial happiness. Following on from the exhibitions devoted to analysing and searching for individualised happiness in the first phase, and the turn towards interpersonal communication and the cultivation thereof in the second, this third event is directed towards activation in the sense of organising public meetings as an integral component of the exhibition.

The members of the collective, which focuses among other factors on the creation of both permanent and temporary spatial installations and environments for experiences and sharing, have decided to construct a backdrop evoking an office, a place of work, also here within the premises of Galerie 35M2. Their artistic installation, comprising a raised table designed by the artists in the shape of petals, together with office furniture, invites visitors to sit down and take part in communal meetings.

The aim of these meetings should be to stimulate and open up a discussion of socio-political, societal and artistic topics, which we need to conduct in order to begin to approach genuine, collective happiness, as referred to by Lynne Segal. In her work she accentuates the essential necessity of seeking and attaining happiness within a collective context, by means of social activity, mutual support and political engagement.

Why the environment of a gallery, and what role can art play herein? In 1998 the theorist Nicolas Bourriaud presented the concept of relational aesthetics, which does not perceive art merely as the outcome of a creative act of an artist, but primarily as a vehicle for creating relationships and interactions within the framework of an arts scene and of society as a whole. Art becomes a tool for creating a community, a dialogue, and for sharing experiences. 

Schedule and annotation of meetings:

19 December 2023 from 19:00

The evening programme of the exhibition opening shall include a public meeting of members of a newly established association of independent galleries. Together with the StonyTellers collective and the exhibition curator, they shall discuss the workings of the contemporary art scene, its operation and potential future models of co-operation (not only) between these independent subjects. During the course of the evening, the individual goals which the association wishes to achieve through its activity shall also be presented. 

24 January 2024 from 19:00

This lecture by the psychologist and therapist Jakub Černý is intended for all who are interested in the theme of sustainability, collective care, burn-out etc. The subject of the meeting consists in an interest in seeking possible responses to fatigue, dissatisfaction and depression within a culture of individualisation and acceleration. It elaborates upon the concept of collective joy as an alternative to the ubiquitous happiness industry and its attempts at effective management of mental health issues. The concluding section of the meeting will be devoted to a discussion and sharing of experiences of applying current knowledge and research to various contexts of everyday practice. 

8 February 2024 from 19:00

This meeting with members of the StonyTellers collective will take place in the spirit of mutual care, sharing and sustainability. The programme will include a brief discussion on the subject of the garden as artistic practice. Together with the collective we shall discuss the ways in which care for a garden can overlap with the building of relationships within narrower and wider communities and/or learning and practising more caring, slower principles of functioning that require collective co-operation. The evening shall also feature a performance in the form of a toast to exhausted soil and its regeneration. 

All the meetings will take place within the premises of Galerie 35M2.

🪨 StonyTellers is an art platform which was establised in 2019. In 2013 and 2022 hunger stones with the inscribed dates of the years of drought emerged again from the Elbe river. First stone soup was cooked in Lublan in 2019. In 2020 the stone emoji was created. 

🪨 We are stones, women, feminists, artists, storytellers, students, curators, gardeners, psychologists, bartenders, babysitters, intercultural workers, ceramists, economists, grant applicants, production managers, custodians, graphic designers, photographers, PR, partners, wives, singles, daughters, sisters.

curator: Anežka Januschka Kořínková
photos: Peter Kolárčik

The project is realised with the financial support of the Capital City of Prague. Prague, the Prague 3 Municipal District, the Ministry of Culture and the State Culture Fund of the Czech Republic. Thank you for your support.