Centrum současného umění DOX

Motto:

"Today, when more and more people tend to think dangerously alike, art’s capacity to suspend, even for a moment, our habitual ways of seeing may be its greatest value."

Mission:

To create a space for research, presentation, and debate on important social issues, where visual arts, literature, performing arts, and other disciplines encourage a critical view of the so-called reality of today’s world.

The DOX Centre for Contemporary Art is a multi-functional space created thanks to a private initiative through the reconstruction of a former factory in Prague’s Holešovice district.

The name DOX is derived on the Greek word doxa, which among other things means a way of perceiving things, an opinion, a conviction. DOX’s programme differs from other similar exhibition institutions (the combination of a “kunsthalle” with a multifunctional cultural centre) primarily through art projects incorporating critical reflection on current social topics and issues overlapping with other “non-artistic” areas and disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, history, sociology, political science, etc.

Through exhibitions of contemporary international and Czech art, DOX explores contemporary topics and further develops discussion through various accompanying programme formats and events for the general public ranging from conferences and panel discussions to film projections, interactive workshops, and public happenings. An important component consists of educational programmes for primary and high school students, which primarily emphasize the development of critical thinking. DOX also offers programmes for children.

The DOX Centre is an excellent example of contemporary architecture. This internationally recognized project involving the reconstruction of an old factory into a multi-functional space is the work of architect Ivan Kroupa. In 2008 DOX was nominated for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. The prestigious Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture includes it among the best 1000 architectural projects of the last ten years. Over 3000 m2 of exhibition space are supplemented by a café, a bookshop, and a design shop.

The DOX Centre is perceived as a dynamic cultural platform and a space for confronting different approaches and tendencies. Thanks to its independence of state institutions and a programme with international scope, Centre has become a fundamental and pioneering enterprise on the Czech cultural scene.

Objectives:

To create an environment that allows for encounters, development, and inspiration through different perspectives.

To develop critical reflection and discussion of current social topics and issues, and to support and present art projects and programmes based on their exploration (research-based art).

To develop exchanges and commonalities among artistic disciplines - from painting, sculpture, and architecture to design, film, video, performance, or new media, and to support commonalities with other disciplines such as literature, performance, movement-based theatre, film, etc.

To provide a platform for dialogue between the local and international art scene.