Medard Zeman looks back at Czech art of the 1970s and 1980s, especially the “Czech Grotesque,” which he sees as the closest reflection of contemporary reality in the Western world and the Czech Republic, meaning life in a system that has outlived its usefulness and has long been in need of an overhaul – except that there are no conceivable alternatives.

The art of this period can serve as an example of a culture that emerged at a time that few people can truly believe or understand. At the same time, however, it is too difficult to define oneself directly against this period, and almost nobody can come up with a realistic and positive vision of the future. When the reality and vision of the future is too fragmented, Czechs become depressed and resort to humor.

Zeman reexamines the questions contained in the art of this period by creating a multimedia opera in which he tries to find a positive way out of this historical interlude.

In his work, he was inspired by the artists Karel Pauzer and František Ringo Čech, two important representatives of Czech culture of the 1970s and 1980s.