Invasion 68 Prague: Exhibition Opens at American University Museum
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Invasion 68 Prague, an exhibition of work by photographer Josef Koudelka, opened yesterday at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. The exhibition will run until December 28, 2008.
The exhibition features Koudelka’s singular photographic account of the week after August 21, 1968, when Warsaw Pact tanks led by Alexander Dubcek invaded communist Prague. Both moving and formally compelling, Koudelka’s photographs provide an unparalleled representation of the life and death of that week. New York Times art critic, Roberta Smith writes:
“None of these photographs are less than beautiful; some combination of emotional urgency and Mr. Koudelka’s instinctive artistry makes them so. His restless vigilance created a historic and historical document that is less a series of photographs than a slow-moving film that we absorb one still at a time. He was there, and to an extraordinary and anguishing degree, so are we.” (Full article)
Koudelka’s photographs that week represented a turning point in his life. After their anonymous publication in Western newspapers, Koudelka sought asylum, and eventually emigrated from Prague in 1970. He has worked since then in Western Europe as a highly regarded documentary and landscape photographer. His books include: Gypsies (1975), Exiles (1984), and Chaos (1999). A recent retrospective of his work, Koudelka, was published in 2006.
The exhibition at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center has been co-produced by Magnum Photos, and coincides with a book by the same title published by Aperture. A “Meet The Artist” reception will be held on Tuesday, November, 18 from 6-8PM; Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra and Ambassador of the Czech Republic Petr Kolár will also be present.
The gallery is open from 11-4PM, Tuesday through Sunday.