The exhibition at the Hybernská Campus in Prague present places connected with the history of the women's movement in Prague in a unique way. It was launched with an opening on the eve of the International Women's Day, Thursday 7 March 2024 and will run until 12 April 2024.

The exhibition also includes previously unpublished materials from the Eliska Krásnohorská Archive (managed by Gender Studies, o.p.s.), such as a unique photo album from Eliska Krásnohorská's personal estate. A digital map of places (houses and monuments) in the centre of Prague that are connected with the feminist movement was also presented. The public is also introduced to the newly created online encyclopedia of important figures of the women's movement, such as Eliška Krásnohorská or Františka Plamínková.

The exposition focuses on the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and the First Republic, but it also partially covers the period of modern history, including the activities of women representatives of the women's movement during the Second World War or during the period of dissent and normalisation. The exhibition includes exhibits from the personal life of the sociologist, dissident and founder of Gender Studies Jiřina Šiklová, and valuable artefacts such as her never-before-exhibited letters from prison ("Jiřina Šiklová's boudoir", built especially for the occasion of the exhibition).

The entire exhibition is accompanied by the fictional character of Anna Kovářová, who offers a unique view of the milestones in the history of the Czech women's movement of the 19th and 20th centuries from the perspective of several generations of women. Visitors to the exhibition can also participate in the creation of an interactive piece and leave their own mark on the modern feminist history of Prague.

"We want to raise the profile of women who played a fundamental role in the women's movement, who fought for women's voting rights, for the opportunity to study and work, for decent pay and social security. Women like Karolina Světlá, Eliška Krásnohorská, Františka Plamínková or Anna Rypáčková are still little known to the public and are often missing in textbooks. Their actions had an impact on society as a whole and can still serve as a source of inspiration. Moreover, the exhibition Prague Feminist brings the history of Prague to life not only through the specific stories of women, but also through the houses in Prague that we pass by on our way to school, work or for coffee, and yet we may not even know that the major milestones of feminist history took place there, which influence us to this day," says co-author and historian Marie Koval about the concept of the exhibition.

 

The accompanying programme of the exhibition was a search game on International Women's Day with the revived places of memory. The game was designed for schools and the public, followed by a discussion evening on the history of the women's movement in Iceland with guests from the National Library of Iceland.

 

The exhibition Prague Feminist. Places where history was written is organized by Gender Studies, o.p.s. as part of the project From Eliška Krásnohorská to Jiřina Šiklová in the Footsteps of Women's Education, which is supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants (Culture Programme).

In 2023, a related exhibition WOMEN CAN... Education to Independence has already taken place. It took place in March and April at Prague's Náplavka between Café (A)VOID and (A)VOID Gallery. The outdoor panel exhibition presented the history of the Czech women's movement and the life of Eliška Krásnohorská, who was an important writer and one of the founders of the emancipation movement in the Czech Republic and the initiator of women's education.

 

Photo: Gender studies o.p.s. and  Alder Art

Financial mechanism: EEA Grants

Programme: Culture

Project: From Eliška Krásnohorská to Jiřina Šiklová: In the footsteps of female education