Aktualní umêní (Contemporary Art), a rare, hand-assembled magazine by the Czech artists’ group of the same name, began production in late 1964. In it, the newly founded group—including Milan Knížák, Jan Mach, Vit Mach, Sonia Švecová, and Jan Trtílek—published its manifesto, documentation of its collective street actions, independent artistic contributions and statements by its members, and also Czech translations of international texts. Producing journals of radical art and ideas was illegal at this time in the former Czechoslovakia, so the magazine would have been circulated among friends rather than distributed openly through channels such as newsstands or the mail. In this way, Aktualní umêní functioned as an alternative exhibition space for work that might not have been shown elsewhere and also as a platform for sharing ideas and information within a largely censored environment.
Most scholars estimate that at most fifty copies of each issue were produced, considering the cost and labor involved as well as the limited potential for distribution. The magazine was published...
Show MoreAktualní umêní (Contemporary Art), a rare, hand-assembled magazine by the Czech artists’ group of the same name, began production in late 1964. In it, the newly founded group—including Milan Knížák, Jan Mach, Vit Mach, Sonia Švecová, and Jan Trtílek—published its manifesto, documentation of its collective street actions, independent artistic contributions and statements by its members, and also Czech translations of international texts. Producing journals of radical art and ideas was illegal at this time in the former Czechoslovakia, so the magazine would have been circulated among friends rather than distributed openly through channels such as newsstands or the mail. In this way, Aktualní umêní functioned as an alternative exhibition space for work that might not have been shown elsewhere and also as a platform for sharing ideas and information within a largely censored environment.
Most scholars estimate that at most fifty copies of each issue were produced, considering the cost and labor involved as well as the limited potential for distribution. The magazine was published under the title Aktualní umêní for the first two issues, which could be considered the most significant in terms of their content and technical production. A third issue was published under the name Nutná činnost (The Necessary Activity, 1965), and from 1966 to 1968, Knížák produced three additional issues, dropping the magazine format altogether in favor of a more ephemeral and less costly newspaper presentation. Here, the first two issues are reproduced in their entirety for the first time, along with a unique prototype for the second issue, which offers an exceptional opportunity to compare plans and the final realization. Detailed information on the contents of each issue is included in extended annotations for several of the images below.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift, 2008
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift, 2008
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A small typo
There is a small typo in the title of the artists' group Aktualní umêní - correctly it would be Aktualní umění.
Show less »There is a small typo in the title of the artists' group Aktualní umêní - correctly it would be Aktualní umění.
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