An exhibition by Matúš Maťátko (*1984) presents a current collection of paintings, reliefs, and prints from his most recent period, as well as a visual installation of iconic images and stories. This is a systematic effort to build an encyclopedic picture gallery documenting the “turning point” historical events and moments of crisis in our nation’s history. The scene features not only densely stylized heroes and idols, but also emblems, symbols, and contemporary antiheroes.

Maťátko aptly depicts historical moments in the formation of the joint state of the Czechs and Slovaks—from the heraldic lion suffocating the Habsburg eagle (Viribus Unitas — United in Strength), depicts a raised rebel submachine gun beneath Kriváň (A Bonfire Burns in the Mountains), and even the famous victory gesture of the Velvet Revolution—a raised hand with severed fingertips (We Promised Each Other Love).

In his reliefs, paintings, and sculptures, the artist favors graphic stylization with strong outlines and a powerful message, influenced by comics, street art, urban subcultures, and similar sources. With this collection, Matúš Maťátko once again demonstrates his active and critical stance toward the pressing cultural and political issues of our history and our tragicomic present—a time of rapid change—which he is able to translate into an engaging and slightly provocative visual language.

The exhibition also features a selection of works from the collections of the Ostrava Gallery of Fine Arts, which correspond to the exhibition’s theme and add a distinctive “Ostrava” chapter to the exhibition (A Starry Future). The exhibition is primarily dedicated to our shared Czech-Slovak history as brotherly nations (hence the title *Bratříčku, drž sa!* [Hang in there, little brother!]) and serves as a loose continuation of the exhibitions featuring the eponymous white-blue-red epic.

Curator: Vladimír Beskid
Graphic design: Katarína Jamrišková
Promotion: Jana Malášek Šrubařová, Magdaléna Staňková