Out of the City!

The 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 a person who is slowing down. On the contrary. The author's exhibition "Out of the City!", held from May 21 to September 6, 2026, at the Olomouc Museum of Art, shows that vitality, an 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 in 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 the City! Photographic and Curatorial Work of Jindřich Štreit

DATE: May 21 – September 6, 2026

OPENING: May 21, 2026, at 6:30 PM

VENUE: 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), Conservation Department (Jakub Barna, Veronika Langer Klimszová, Anna Píšťková, Gabriela Polívková)

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

THANKS TO: Piotr Piech, Galeria Fotografii Miasta Rzeszowa

Museum opening hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM

ACCOMPANYING EXHIBITION PROJECTS:

Lenka Zavadilová. Lubawka Railway Station | 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The first part of the exhibition presents previously unpublished photographs from the 1980s, taken in the former Sudetenland.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 then but never exhibited them. They are coming to life after long decades only now.

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

What is essential, however, is that his photographs are neither sensational nor critical from a distance. 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 images power even after decades.

Jindřich Štreit, untitled, 1982–1983

Courage to Create Even in Difficult Times

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

1982 brought a dramatic turning point – he was accused of slandering the republic. This experience would break many. For him, however, it strengthened his resolve to continue. Although he could only exhibit to a limited extent and mainly in alternative spaces, he did not stop creating or supporting others.

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

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 often seen. 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 taking an interest in neighbors. The important thing is not to remain indifferent.

The exhibition "Out of the City!" thus essentially does not look back to the past. It speaks more about 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.