Diary as Art Form: Jií Kolá and Diary 1968

Jii Kolá was a key figure of the Czech avant-garde. Already an exceptional poet, he turned to collage techniques for his remarkable Diary 1968. This bore witness to the events of the Prague Spring and its later suppression by Soviet forces, in a series of multi layered collages of texts, newspaper cuttings, paintings, leaflets and other found matter. A talk by curator and artist Milena Kalinovská.

Milena Kalinovska was the Director of Modern Art Collection, 19th – 21th century, at the National Gallery Prague, until 2018. Previously, she was the Director of Public Programs and Education and a Member of the Senior Management Team at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, for 11 years, the Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Associate Curator of New Museum in New York, and Exhibitions Director of Riverside Studios in London. She has curated over 40 exhibitions, most recently first major survey of Gerhard Richter in Central Europe with Jiri Fajt and Norbert Arns in 2017 at the National Gallery Prague, “Grimace of the Century” a major solo exhibition of Jiri Kolar with co-curator Marie Klimesova among other projects. Kalinovska worked with artists such as Antony Gormley, Richard Deacon, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Nan Golden, Magdalena Jetelova, Ilja Kabakov, Stanislav Kolibal, Annette Messages, Cildo Meireles, Richard Prince, Adriena Simotova, Nancy Spero, Bill Viola, and others. She has been contributing to publications, was nominated for the Turner Price in 1985 and holds number of awards for her curatorial and educational achievements.