In his text entitled “Ethics of Elfland” Gilbert Keith Chesterton compared our civilization to a wrecked ship, from which the hero of Daniel Defoe’s famous book, Robinson Crusoe, would fish out all objects he needed to survive on a desert island. The British writer pointed out that in a sense our civilization resembles a ship after a disaster, whilst artworks are an element which enables us to rescue the values that define our humanity: the Truth, Beauty and Good, which – for us to survive as mankind – must be saved in every generation. Therefore, the main idea behind the exhibition organized in the former monastery rooms of the Museum of Architecture is to refer to traditional European values through contemporary artists’ visual creativity. These values are the roots of our civilization. Thus, they require salvage and care – especially in today’s world, where several ideas and norms once cultivated become equivalent to remains of a wrecked ship.
For the purposes of the Robinson’s Ship show exhibition rooms have been set designed as a shipwreck, with artworks located among its remains. Consequently, the show departs from a linear presentation scheme, while individual pieces have been be closely linked to its scenographic concept. The show features about 190 artworks, which makes it one of the largest exhibitions of figurative art in Central and Eastern Europe. It showcases 55 young and promising artists from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The pieces on show include painting, graphics, photography as well as sculpture and glass objects.
