The graduate diploma show at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague is more than just a mere “final examination” confirming the basic competencies of current final year students. Traditionally, it takes the form of a group exhibition that transforms the Academy buildings into a gallery for a few days. Here, we encounter the contemporary visual language (or its negation), observe efforts to grapple with the pressing issues of today and discover individual personalities and exceptional ways of working. Above all, however, the exhibition presents a portrait of a generation that will become increasingly clear over time, one that, with the passage of time, will provide unique insight into the emerging Czech art scene.

This short text, however, is being written even before the exhibition itself, even before the works to be presented there are completed. The future (fortunately) remains one step ahead of us. My thanks go to all teaching staff for many years of their continuous work. I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to the exhibition, especially the individual students. My final thank you is reserved for those of you who are interested in the work of the upcoming generation. It is only through your reflection that it will take on its full form and value.