HANDA GOTE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 
2005–2020

About the exhibition:

After severl month of interception, Gallery NTK, which is located in the building of the National Library of Technology, is coming back to its exhibition programme with the retrospecitive show of Prague artistic and theatre collective Handa Gote. Exhibition is outlined as "cabinet of curiosities" or humorous variation at ethnological, technical or natural museum. Yiu can find here wooden machine gun, plastic bag suit, electric strobilus or hand axe made of tv screen. The central exponate of the huge whale body is flowing over the heads of the visitors.

By the exhibition at Gallery NTK, Handa Gte collective is celebrating its fifteen anniversary. Versatility of the activities brings the members of the group - Veronika Švábová, Jakub Hybler, Tomáš Procházka, Jonáš Svatoš, Jan Dőrner a Robert Smolík - close to the humanist renaissance artist.s tradition.  They are well known in the subculture of contemporary theatre and dance, but active as well in the area of visual art and last but not least experimntal music. Their projects Federsel, Radio Royal or B4 got deserved audience..  

The exposition focus mainly on the physical substance of the collective's work, which comprise lets of diversified objects presented on teh vitrines and on pedestals - following the model of classical museum expositions. Some of the exhibited objects belongs to the sphere of scenography, reprsenting relics of performances, some of the objects should be classified as autonomous artworks. We will find here extensive collection of festival masks, absurd costumes from extraordinary materials, archetypal tools with enigmatic purpose, technological fossils, weapons appointed to anything but fight, musical instruments made of the unexpected things. Natural materials are organically mixing with artificial ones, the old merges with the new, romantical inspiration by science is confronted with pataphysical iracionality. 
At some points we can find "work stations", laboratory corners. emphasizing the experimental background of the collective's work. Each of that work stations is comprising a table, covered completely under the flood of objects, tolls, and gears, refering to some of the chosen topics - photolaboratory, kniting workshop, musical studio, travelers cabinet…

Ecology and its realtion to technologicl achievements of modern society is occupying the key place in. the work of the collectice Handa Gote. In that meaning - we can connect the work of the group to contemporary trends - archaeology of  media, geology of media, or influential theory of anthropocne. Common denominators of the variety of objects are poetical humor and specific nostalgy refering to japan tradition of Mono no aware – cultivated ability to perceive and acknowledge the simplicity and beauty with the parallel conscience of upcomming unevitable conclusion. Even the name of the group Handa Gote is derived from Japan culture - it means "solder".  It nicely express another important aspect of the group's work -  DIY (Do it yourself) playfulnes, sensual absorbing of the materials and creative recyclation. Important source of inspiration is the folk culture, including non european or non-western manifestations , and also the prehistoric cultures. Hybrid form of some of the exhibited objects is influenced by Cargo cult, which developed on the Pacific islands after the meating of the natives with the technologicaly developed American army. 

"Almost all works of Handa Gote are somehow connected to fenomenon of death, memory, forgotten and disappearing things, phenomenons,  traditions...." the group members are saying to describe their artistical foundations and strategies.. 
Distinctive poetical world of the Handa Gote group is filled by strange objects and obscurities and at the sae time is fascinated by the banality of everydaness with boundless potential of exploring the magical. The outcome of that obsessive activity is materialized message about the state of our civilisation containing both the element of hope and dystopic question mark. 

Handa Gote members:

Curator:

Milan Mikuláštík

Cooperation ofJedefrau.org and Gallery NTK. 

Support from Ministry of Culture and City of Prague.

 

 

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External cooperators of group Handa Gote 2005–2020:

Anna Ouřadová, Radka Mizerová, Kateřina Housková, Leoš Kropáček, David Freudl, Pavel Kopřiva, Roman Mikeš, Radomír Vosecký, František Antonín Skála, Mikoláš Zika, Jan Brejcha, Tereza Havlová, Lukáš Jiřička, Martin Ježek, David Singer, Anežka Kalivodová, Jan Kalivoda, Ondřej Mašek, Jana Novorytová, Petra Pellarová (Púčiková), Martin Janíček, Pasi Mäkelä, Georgij Bagdasarov, Vojtěch Procházka, Miloš Šejn, Ken Ganfield, Angela Nwagbo, Papis Nyass, Michael Pospíšil, Martin Búřil, Lukáš Valiska, Tomáš Morávek, Michael Měřička, Martin Vosáhlo, Michal Cáb, Andrej Boleslavský, Tomáš Choura, Janek Rous, Nataša Bednářová (Mikulová), Boris Jedinák, Adam Pospíšil, Pavel Šturma, Ondřej Volman, Vojtěch Horálek, Vojtěch Švejda 

Exhibition collaborators::

Maria Cavina, Jakub Hrdlička, Pamela Kuťáková, Roman Mikeš, Tomáš Mitura

Objects production colaborators:

Jan Brejcha, Michal Brunclík, Tereza Havlová, Jitka Hudcová, Kateřina Housková, Martin Janíček, Martin Lhoták, Roman Mikeš, Radka Mizerová, Jan Niesyt, Edita Procházková, František Antonín Skála, Martin Vosáhlo, Radomír Vosecký Lukáš Valiska, Mikoláš Zika

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Prvious exhibitions of Handa Gote: 

Hladomor, Musaion, letohrádek Kinských, Praha, 2020

Vedúca skamenelina, Nová synagóga, Žilina, 2019

Hladomor, Galerie Lauby, Ostrava, 2017

Prasvět/Urwelt, Papírna, Plzeň, 2016

Chata/The Hut, Pražské Quadriennale, Praha, 2015

Jak nic nechtít, (účast na společné výstavě), Festival 4+4 dny, Praha, 2015

Výstava Bohumil Filip, Designblok, 2015

Výstava Ondřej Havránek, Galerie Školská 28, Praha, 2013

Skleněná industrie, Městské muzeum, Ostrava, 2011

Semi-found objects, things and tools used in performing art, Galerie Ferdinanda Baumanna, Praha, 2011

Arma Homini, Festival Kukačka, Ostrava, 2011

Likvidátor nepůvodních druhů, Galerie České spořitelny, Praha, 2010

Still-life, MeetFactory, Praha, 2009

Z výletu: Semifound objects, Regionální muzeum a galerie, Jičín, 2009

Loft, Designblok, Praha, 2009

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Theatre performances:

Vzpomínky na Togoland (2021)

Čtvrtá opice (2019)

Dva sešity (2019)

Johan Doktor Faust (2018)

Šibřinky (2018)

Die Rache (2017)

Kdož sú boží bojovníci (2016)

Eleusis (2016)

Erben:Sny (2015)

Mutus Liber (2015)

Svěcení jara (2014)

Safírová hlava (2014)

Mission (2013)

Prales (2012)

Mraky (2011)

Metal Music (2010)

Pan Roman (2010)

Rain Dance (2009)

Emily (2008)

Houby (2008)

Trains (2007)

Ekran (2006)

Silence (2006)

Red Green Blue (2005)

Computer Music (2005)

Noise (2005) 

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Invitation: