Out of Town!

This exhibition, celebrating Jindřich Štreit's 80th birthday, presents a unique dual portrait of this extraordinary personality – as both a photographer and a cultural organizer. However, it is certainly not a retrospective of someone slowing down. On the contrary. The author's exhibition Out of Town!, held from May 21 to October 18, 2026, at the Olomouc Museum of Art, shows that vitality, interest in others, and a desire to be active can accompany a person throughout life, regardless of age.

The exhibition presents two important aspects of Štreit's work: his photographic creations of the 1980s and his long-standing curatorial work at the former school in Sovinec. Both are connected by one theme – a deep interest in people and their everyday lives.

About the Exhibition

EXHIBITION: Out of Town! Jindřich Štreit's photographic and curatorial work

DATE: May 21 – September 6, 2026 / extended until October 18, 2026

OPENING: May 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Museum of Modern Art, Salon and Cabinet

CURATORS: Štěpánka Bieleszová, Arkadiusz Gola

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: Štěpánka Bieleszová

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Petr Šmalec

PREPRESS: Martin Navrátil

INSTALLATION: Vlastimil Sedláček, Filip Šindelář, Radka Žáková

COLLABORATION:

Department of Collections and Documentation (Zdeněk Sodoma), Department of Restoration (Jakub Barna, Veronika Langer Klimszová, Anna Píšťková, Gabriela Polívková)

The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Galeria Fotografii Miasta Rzeszowa and the Muzeum Górnictwa Węglowego w Zabrzu.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Piotr Piech, Galeria Fotografii Miasta Rzeszowa

Museum open: Wednesday–Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM

ACCOMPANYING EXHIBITION PROJECTS:

Lenka Zavadilová. Nádraží v Lubawce | May 23 – September 13, 2026 | Amadeus Coffee & Wine

Zuzana Fajmonová. Pop Art | March 2 – June 30, 2026 | Bistro Central | 1st floor

People First

The first part of the exhibition presents previously unpublished photographs from the 1980s, taken in the former Sudetenland. The author took them at the time but never exhibited them. They are only coming to life after many decades now.

It is not just a document of the countryside before 1989. Štreit captures interpersonal relationships, traditions, joys, and hardships of everyday life. In his images, the village becomes a miniature model of society as a whole. We see both cohesion and loneliness, fatigue and hope.

What is crucial, however, is that his photographs are neither sensationalism nor distant criticism. They arose from a personal relationship, from trust and long-term contact with local people. Štreit never stood aside. He was part of the environment he photographed. And it is this humanity that gives his pictures power even after decades.

Jindřich Štreit, untitled, 1982–1983

The Courage to Create Even in Difficult Times

The second part of the exhibition commemorates Štreit's curatorial work in Sovinec, where, starting in 1974, he created a meeting place for artists outside official cultural centers. During the normalization period, under the supervision of censorship and state power, he managed to build a space for free exchange of opinions and creativity.

1982 brought a dramatic turning point – he was accused of slandering the republic. This experience would have broken many. For him, however, it strengthened his resolve to continue. Although he could only exhibit to a limited extent and primarily in alternative spaces, he never stopped creating or supporting others.

Marie Blabolilová, untitled, 1988–1989. Collection of Jindřich Štreit

Activity as a Life Stance

Jindřich Štreit's life shows that activity is not a matter of age, but of attitude. Throughout his life, he has been interested in social issues, in people on the margins of society, in those who are not very visible. He photographed seniors, people with disabilities, people in difficult life situations. Always with respect and empathy.

His story can be an inspiration: each of us can be active within our means. Someone helps with photography, another with volunteering, caring for loved ones, or showing interest in neighbors. The important thing is not to remain indifferent.

The exhibition Out of Town! thus fundamentally does not look back at the past. Rather, it speaks to the fact that even at eighty, one can be full of energy, interest, and a desire to create. And that an active life, openness to others, and a willingness to help give human old age depth and meaning.