Three worlds, three perspectives: JAMU students brighten up Café Trojka with an interactive exhibition

How do we rescue photography from social media feeds and force it to truly interact with its audience? Three students from the Audiovisual Arts and Theatre program at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) offer a compelling answer. They have envisioned their collaborative exhibition at Café Trojka as a dynamic interplay of space and emotion.

The creators' primary intention wasn't merely to "hang pictures on a wall," but to actively engage with the café's environment, which they perceived as fairly conventional. Their goal was to activate the space, allowing the photographs to break out of their frames and transmit the raw emotions captured within. 

A dichotomy of calm and hustle 

The exhibition is built upon a stark contrast between two distinct worlds. On one side hangs Blissful Berounka 2026, a series of black-and-white photographs by Martin Chmelík. It captures the tranquility of nature and the experiences of a scout camp paddling down the Berounka river. This detox from the daily grind stands in sharp contrast to the opposite wall, which pulses with life and an unbridled atmosphere. 

Bára Kučerová opens her visual diary with the series People of Berlin. Her photographs capture fleeting, unrepeatable moments and the specific figures she encountered in the German capital city. She elevates the visual sensation of her photos into a tactile experience by incorporating fabric scraps from her own sewing projects, giving the atmosphere a perfect finishing touch. 

The exhibition is brought to a close by Jasmína Georgievová and her two striking photographic cycles. The first – LOVE VOE – throws us back into the whirlwind of New Year’s Eve. While the rest of the world began kissing after midnight, the photographer observed her surroundings in isolation through the viewfinder until the barrier broke and people themselves started asking her to capture their intimate moments. 

This raw collection is followed by her second series, titled Kristus plakal (= Christ Wept). Through a pink veil that masks the cruelty of reality, she captures a theatrical tale of a little pig lost in the big world. It serves as an artistic outcry and a paraphrase of the theatre scene, which the author compares to a slaughterhouse. The entire exposition thus culminates as a reference wrapped inside a reference, posing the ultimate question: amid this chaos of patriarchal gestures and expensive watches, does anyone actually notice anyone else? 

From screens to live interaction 

For these young creators, direct contact with the audience is absolutely crucial. "It’s fantastic to bring photos into physical contact with people. It’s not just a mindless scroll on social networks; you actually get to see the reactions. It’s a real event," Bára concludes. The opening night itself unfolded in the spirit of a witty performance a format JAMU students enthusiastically employ to breathe life into their works and bring them into the real world. 

The exhibition, successfully bridging the tranquil realm of a scout river trip with eccentric urban hustle, will remain on display at Café Trojka throughout the month. 

author: Aneta Zákoutská