Czech Photography's 'Grey Zone' Explored in Chicago Exhibition

From January 29 to March 28, 2010, Columbia College's Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago showcased '50% Grey: Contemporary Czech Photography Reconsidered.' Co-curated by Karen Irvine and Karel Cisar, the exhibition examined Czech photography through the lens of Piotr Piotrowski's 'grey zone' concept. Among the featured artists were Štěpán Grygar, Lukáš Jasanský, Martin Polák, Markéta Othová, Michal Pechouček, and Jiří Thýn. The exhibition title was inspired by Thýn's series '50% Grey' (2009), while Jasanský and Polák's pieces focused on mundane items. Grygar's 'Street (Prague), 2002' and Othová's 'Leçon de photographie' (2007) provided abstract views. A related display included 44 photographs from the Baruch Foundation, linking contemporary artists to Czech modernist figures. Susan Snodgrass reviewed the exhibition for ARTMargins Online on May 4, 2010.