Read

The publication accompanies the exhibition READ, organized in 2023-24 by Kunsthalle Praha, the first major presentation of work by artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset in the Czech Republic. The exhibition reflects on the relationship between books and artmaking. Designed as a mini-malist version of a modern public library, it also questions our relationship with physical books and knowledge in the age of digital media. Between and within the custom-made bookshelves in the galleries, Elmgreen & Dragset present recent and new sculptures alongside artworks from several contemporary artists colleagues and key works from the Kunsthalle Praha collec-tion. READ includes performance, video, collage and painting as well as sculpture and installa-tion art.

The extensive exhibition publication includes contributions from renowned scholars and a cu-ratorial text by Elmgreen & Dragset themselves, ranging in themes from the Czech history of Samizdat publishing to the current challenges to books, libraries and freedom of speech in the digital era. The exhibition project and its focus on the dynamic relationship between language, books, and art will be documented through this richly illustrated catalogue.