Duna

#1 min DUNA group

16. 6. 2021

The Duna, Adaptus, 2021
The Duna, Adaptus, 2021
#39 Delight, PainWantedEnvironment

Adaptus is a speculative project in which we explore the borders of humanity. Through modern mythology and digital post-production, we attempt to tell the story of humankind, with which we aim to open up the space of our minds and bodies to new thinking. Our existence is connected with the outside world. Our every conscious and unconscious act can influence people, animals, plants and things on the opposite side of the planet. Our bodies cannot be separated from air, other bodies or our existence itself. What we bring about influences us retroactively.

On the basis of predictions about the impact of the monstrous treatment of the outside world by humankind, whose consequences are already making themselves known in lived reality, the Adaptus series is our attempt to find positive visions too. If we perceive our bodies as indivisible from the rest of the world and consciously take on the role of host, can we develop a symbiotic platform beneficial to all species inside ourselves?

All images: The Duna, Adaptus, 2021

#39 Delight, PainWantedEnvironmentCollaborationTechnologyPhilosophyTransformationDelight, pain

DUNA group

is an open collective of artists (Lenka Bakes, Ladislav Kyllar, František Svatoš) focusing on themes of the  future topics such as ecology and technology. Adaptus is a speculative project in which we explore the borders of humanity and complexity of fragile relationship network between various entities. DUNA has presented in a number of solo exhibitions, presented the first volume of the Adaptus series in 2019 as part of the 4+4 Days in Motion festival in Prague, and has continued to develop the series through the NoD exhibition in Prague and online platforms. The Duna group was included by the French publication NONFICTION 02 on Nature, among a selection of artists born after 1980 setting the trends of the future, with recent works presented by Duna in the exhibition HOLY MATTER at Below Grand in NYC and in the exhibition Baitball at Polignano a Mare Italy.  

#39 Delight, Pain

e feel like revising our relationships. This time, relationships between people. Relationships between genders whose borders are not as firm as we might have thought until recently – instead, they are entirely permeable. Society responds to non-binary or transformative identities in various ways: with sexism, vehement exclusion, hidden exclusion, glass ceilings or attempts at inclusion. The proportion of these forces is constantly developing and changing and we decided to focus on them, and not alone. We opted for an experiment, and invited, as guest editors, the collective of the studio of New Aesthetics at the Department of Photography at FAMU, Prague: Nikol Czuczorová, Nikolaj Jessen, Andrej Kiripolský, Zuzana-Markéta Macková, Tobias Páral, Ezra Šimek, Leevi Toija, Max Vajt and Hynek Alt with Jen Kratochvil. This collaboration broadened our perspective to include the age group of those currently studying. Together, we arrived not only at the result of the printed issue but also at a new form of digital content – a series of podcasts and videos. Our guests helped sensitize and materialize the themes depicted on the mental map they created when conceiving the issue, lobbying for a revision of our established perception of the selected aggregate that forms the backbone of the magazine’s content: pleasure, pain, chaos, jouissance, anxiety, responsibility, orgasm, non-binary language, activism, perversion, social experiment. The chain of association can continue as you browse the pages of the magazine or listen to the podcasts, whose considerable ambition is to use the spoken word to discuss visual art. It will be delight accompanied by pain – otherwise it would not be delight at all.

Rencontres d’Arles 2025

#6 min Markéta Kinterová

Rencontres d’Arles 2025

Fotograf zone Review

The Rencontres d’Arles Festival is the world’s oldest photography festival and probably also the most visited. As its name suggests, it is an opportunity for encounters. Alongside the official program, dozens of spontaneous events, initiatives, and exhibitions emerge, both official and unofficial, transforming the town into a vibrant cultural organism. This year, I had the opportunity to experience the Rencontres d’Arles Festival through the eyes of someone who moves between their own artistic and pedagogical practice and above all as someone who believes that photography has the power not only to depict but also to shape the social context.

Robert Gabris – Acts of Provocation and Self-Protection or the Power of Prohibition and Taboos

#2 min Laura Amann, Robert Gabris

Robert Gabris – Acts of Provocation and Self-Protection or the Power of Prohibition and Taboos

#48 About MeProfileLGBTQ+

Robert Gabris’ practice confronts viewers with a provocative exploration of domesticity, queer identity, and societal marginalisation. Keenly aware of the dangers of exoticisation and institutional exploitation, Gabris navigates the complexities of representing Roma life while paying homage to his culture, family, and their lived experiences. This strategic artistic endeavour confronts the harsh realities of systemic discrimination and neglect faced by Roma citizens, while also interrogating notions of inclusivity and identity politics as well as ways of giving back to Roma people instead of providing mere representation.

DUNA – Adapting to the Present

#3 min Tereza Špinková, DUNA group

DUNA – Adapting to the Present

#43 CollectingProfileTechnology

We usually absorb science fiction stories with a certain condescension – after all, it's still fiction, underlined by future tense on top. It's just that time mutates insidiously from the present to the future, and we may not be where we were not long ago, even though we think we are. The DUNA group shows these mutations – on us and on our surroundings. Who are we right now? And what are we becoming?