Does my work have meaning at a time when all certainties are crumbling? Honest reflections on art as a tool for survival and on why art is the only logical counter to destruction.

MATYÁŠ FIALA
If it makes sense to get up in the morning.

VOJTĚCH HLAVÁČEK
In any case, even if all one had left was a pencil and paper.

DEMIAN KOVALOV
Yes, precisely such conditions are necessary for art to rediscover its function.

DAVID TUREK
Probably yes; I think it’s harder for the individual, but it certainly makes sense from a historical perspective.

VIKTORIE MAJOBEROVÁ
I think the world has always been burning and to a certain extent, that feeds and shapes our work.

ENISA SKOKO
The world burned, is burning and will burn.

FILIP BRANDEJSKÝ
The world has been burning for centuries; only the scenery changes. Art is often a way to endure it all. And after all, at least something will remain after us that can be used for kindling.

MATĚJ HANUSCH
It does make sense. Perhaps more so than when the world isn’t burning.

VOJTĚCH ČEPELÁK
Of course it does. Burning destroys; creating is the opposite.

PAVLA BASTLOVÁ
Yes, it does, even if it doesn’t make sense. Culture is the foundation.

NINA SIBINSKÁ
When else does it make sense to create if not precisely when the world is on fire? I’d rather ask myself, what meaning would the world have if art weren’t made even in such times?

MARTIN ŘEZÁČ
It does. Hopefully the world won’t burn forever. I hope so. All we can do is trust that we won’t burn out ourselves by then.

EVE DAVID PATERSON MILLER
Periods of instability make everyday behaviours more visible, and art can provide a framework to see these shifts.

ERFAN SABZIPOOR
Honestly, it’s hard to justify making work that is only about myself or my own emotions while everything else feels so unstable. Art, for me, makes more sense as a shared process or a collective space rather than a solitary expression.

KRISTÝNA CVEJNOVÁ
If the world is on fire, inspiration for creation is everywhere. Art can help people realise they’re not alone in this and offer hope that things will get better.

KEYA SINGH
It does not make “sense”, but in many ways the world has always been on fire, and it has never made sense to make art. Art ideally preserves complexity, asks different questions, and refuses singular narratives. It does not matter whether it makes sense.

MATOUŠ KAŠPAR
I think art can be one way to cope with this on a personal level and to vent this pressure – to use this space to find some orientation in this crisis-ridden world.

VAVŘINEC VYORAL
When “the world is on fire”, one naturally first imagines a struggle for survival and for basic certainties. In such a situation, art may seem unnecessary. At the same time, however, I believe that it is precisely in times of crisis that art makes sense, because it helps process fear, chaos and uncertainty.

VIKTOR PROKOP
The world is burning because we allow a few people to set it on fire. I’m not sure if we can change anything through art. It can give us the feeling that we’re not alone in this, that others are experiencing something similar, that someone else’s fate is also my fate. I feel that the more empathy we have for one another, the better the world can be for everyone.

POLINA REVUNENKO
Yes, it is precisely in such situations that art takes on fundamental significance for me. I come from a country at war and creating art has become both a source of support and a way for me to bring light, peace and meaning.

TADEÁŠ POCHMAN
Yes, but only up to a certain point. Then it becomes necessary to abandon artistic methods.

ANTONÍN ZÁVODNÝ
It is difficult to judge what makes sense and what does not. Given the bleak state of the world today, I see more meaning in direct, engaged activism, the activities of civic protest movements and social work rather than in the creation of works of art, which generally lack the mobilising power of direct action. I do believe, however, that under certain conditions, art can be a catalyst for social change, or at least an important commentary contributing to the discussion of current socio- political issues.

JIŘÍ GRUBER
It makes fundamental sense but in such a context, we would benefit from less of that institutionalised “elitist” art and more of the everyday art that is more accessible in terms of time and place.

MARTINA ŠIKULOVÁ
Without art, the world would have burned down long ago. In times of powerlessness, I see it as a way to reconnect with sensitivity and love and at the same time as a space where one can name uncomfortable topics and imagine utopia, escape or resistance.

ALEXANDRA SUROVKOVÁ
The most significant works throughout history have directly responded to social crises and tensions. Personally, I believe that art has the ability to name what is otherwise difficult to grasp and to rouse people to action.

RACHAEL THORLEIFSON
It always makes sense to make art. Art is not passive, “the world’s got some changin’ to do.”

MARTIN MLATEČEK
Does it make sense even when the world isn’t on fire? I wonder when it last wasn’t on fire. Even if I suddenly decided to become a firefighter instead of an artist, I still wouldn’t be able to stop the world from burning. It’s a bit too big for that. You can only put out fires locally and that can even be done as a part-time job.

ŠIMON RYCHLÍK
I perceive art as a form of communication, reflection and imagination and therefore it makes sense whenever there isn’t a literal fire – in which case it’s good to put it out or run away.

KAREL VLADYKA
I often ask myself this question: why would the world need more drag queens, paintings, installations and theatre when we are witnessing a society falling apart? I eventually always come to the conclusion that it’s precisely for that reason. We need hope, beauty and a shared humanity to be able to continue our daily lives at all and ideally also to find the courage to stand up against hatred, fascism and genocide. Deep down, I still believe that art possesses this magical power; otherwise, I would have given it all up long ago.