Exhibition

Peter Sís- The Wall: How I Grew Up Behind the Iron Curtain

16 Sep 2021 – 19 Nov 2021

Regular hours

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
13:00 – 18:00
Wednesday
13:00 – 18:00
Thursday
13:00 – 18:00
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
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Czech Center New York

New York
New York, United States

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A documentary exhibition by the internationally acclaimed illustrator, author and filmmaker features drawings, photographs, documents and ephemera that tell the story of the artist’s childhood in Cold War-era Prague.

About

Czech Center New York presents Peter Sís—The Wall, a documentary exhibition by the internationally acclaimed illustrator, author and filmmaker. Curated by Joachim Dvořák and Michaela Šilpochová, the exhibition is based on Sís’s award-winning autobiographical picture book “The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.” 

On view September 16 - November 19, 2021, Peter Sís—The Wall will showcase a series of original illustrations from the book and a documentary installation featuring drawings, photographs, and objects made by Sís as well as objects and ephemera from the period of 1950s-1980s. Presented on replicas of red street noticeboards, which were used for propaganda of the communist regime, the installation creates a powerful account of the artist’s experience in Cold War-era Prague. The exhibition is organized by the Czech Center New York and produced by the Labyrint Publishing House in collaboration with the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art and Czech Centres. 

Considered Sís’s most ambitious and personal book, “The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain” is a 2007 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, a 2009 Caldecott Honor Book, a 2008 Bank Street – Best Children’s Book of the Year, the winner of the 2008 Boston Globe – Horn Book Award for nonfiction, and a nominee for the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids. 

“Many of Peter Sís’s readers were not yet born when ‘the wall came down’. His brilliant autobiographical picture-book deserves to become a minor classic, keeping in the collective memory a shameful period of history which must never be forgotten.”— Sir Tom Stoppard, British playwright, and screenwriter

“Peter Sís’s book is most of all about the will to live one’s life in freedom and should be required reading for all those who take their freedom for granted.” —Václav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic

CuratorsToggle

Michaela Šilpochová

Joachim Dvořák

Exhibiting artistsToggle

Peter Sís

Taking part

DOX Centre for Contemporary Art

DOX Centre for Contemporary Art

Prague, Czechia

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