The dominant culture, cultural habits, and conventions are reflected not only in the form and practices of cultural and educational institutions and organizations, but also, on a general level, in cultural policies and, on a specific level, in works of art. Currently, in connection with the global Black Lives Matter movement, we can observe iconoclastic reactions to statues and monuments of political and statesmen figures in public spaces that are or were associated with racism, segregation, and support for slave systems. Iconoclastic reactions raise questions—to what extent is it justified today to place such monuments in public spaces? How numerous are monuments and memorials commemorating minorities and their prominent representatives? Are iconoclastic reactions adequate or not? Is there sufficient and satisfactory discussion of this issue not only among experts but also among the general public, or is it minimal or non-existent, or completely distorted? How is this issue perceived in the Czech and Slovak environments?
Since the Romantic period, we have associated fine and visual arts with freedom, free expression and free thought. Yet even this oft-repeated opinion is simplistic. Art is not only a sphere of freedom. There are works of art (not only historical works, but also more or less contemporary ones) that reinforce certain established and stereotypical ways of seeing and presenting specific groups of people. It is important to realize that the language of works of art is also subject to contemporary trends and politics. It too is a tool and representative of the dominant culture. Linguistic codes, and therefore also the language of visual art, are normative—they shape our thinking, set us up in advance, mold us, and predetermine us.
The title of the exhibition, BíLá Místa, refers to the absence and invisibility of minorities in mainstream culture. It focuses on works by Romani and pro-Romani artists who question and reveal issues surrounding dominant cultural and linguistic (textual and visual) practices. In some cases, artists iconoclastically and subversively reinterpret established visual and literary works and appropriate certain forms to draw attention to stereotyping in art, sometimes self-critically within their own artistic practices and shifts. At other times, they examine the extent to which the narratives of minorities, especially the Roma minority, are not reflected in the functioning of cultural and other institutions. A white space is a blank spot on the map. White spaces are gaps in cultural and institutional history and the present.
