Jindřich Štreit turns 80: "From the City to the Countryside." An exhibition by the prominent Moravian photographer Jindřich Štreit, prepared to celebrate his milestone birthday.

The following lines introduce to lovers of this visual art form the photographic and curatorial work of this significant artistic personality of the Czech Republic. The presentation of Štreit's work takes place from May 21 to September 6 of this year at the Museum of Modern Art in Olomouc and was created in cooperation with Galeria Fotografii Miasta Rzeszowa and the Muzeum Górnictwa Węglowego w Zabrzu. As we have already indicated, the exhibition presents two important aspects of Štreit's activity: his photographic creation and his long-standing curatorial work at the former school in Sovinec. Both are united by one theme – a deep interest in people and their everyday lives.

People First

The first part of the exhibition brings unpublished photographs from the 1980s of the last century, which were created in the environment of the former Sudetenland. The author took them at the time but never exhibited them. They come back to life after many decades only now. However, as Tomáš Kasal, the press spokesperson for the museum, says, it is not just about documenting the countryside before 1989. Štreit captures interpersonal relationships, traditions, joys, and hardships of everyday life. In his images, villages become a miniature model of the entire society. Here we see cohesion and loneliness, fatigue and hope. What is essential – his photographs are not sensationalism or criticism from a distance. They were created from a personal relationship, from trust and long-term contact with the local people. Štreit never stood aside. He was part of the environment he photographed. And it is precisely this humanity that gives his photographs strength even decades later.

The Courage to Create in Difficult Times

The second part of the exhibition recalls Štreit's curatorial activity in Sovinec, where from 1974 he created a meeting place for artists outside official cultural centers. During the normalization period, under the watch of censorship and state power, he managed to build a space for free exchange of opinions and creation. However, the year 1982 brought him a dramatic turning point – he was accused of insulting the republic. This experience would have broken many. For Štreit, as Kasal confirms, it only strengthened his resolve to continue. Even though he could exhibit only in limited ways and mostly in alternative spaces, he never stopped creating or supporting others.

Activity as a Life Attitude

The life of Jindřich Štreit 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, the physically disabled, people in difficult life situations. Always with respect and empathy. His story can be an inspiration: each of us can be active within our possibilities. Some help through photography, others through volunteering, caring for loved ones, or interest in neighbors. The important thing is not to remain indifferent. The exhibition Z města ven! (From the City to the Countryside!) basically does not look back into the past. As Tomáš Kasal stated at the opening of this extraordinary cultural and social event, it speaks more of the fact that even in one's eighties 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.

Curriculum Vitae

In brief: Jindřich Štreit was born on September 5, 1946, in Vsetín in the Valašsko region. He graduated from the gymnasium in Rýmařov (1963) and the Faculty of Education at Palacký University in Olomouc, specializing in visual education (1967). In addition to pedagogical work and photographic activity, he devotes himself to public welfare work.

Since 1974, he has managed galleries in Sovinec, and since 1997, in Bruntál.

Since 1981, he has closely collaborated with progressive artists from Prague, Brno, and Bratislava, as well as from other cultural centers in the Czech Republic and abroad. Jindřich Štreit has been a freelance photographer since 1994. In 2000, he obtained his habilitation at the Faculty of Film and Television of the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague, becoming an associate professor in the field of photography. In 2014, the Art Council of the University of Fine Arts in Bratislava awarded him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.

Jindřich Štreit's creative work is astounding. He has organized more than 1,600 solo exhibitions, published 98 photographic publications, and a number of exhibition catalogs. His works are represented in many of the world's most important collections, including the UMPRUM in Prague and the National Gallery in Washington.

Ivan Černý