SYSTEM TEST

The exhibition series entitled EXPERIENCE OF THE SYSTEM for 2026 in the Olga Space Gallery continues the themes of the previous years (2025- DR.ART, 2024 - THE HERITAGE OF COLLECTIVES: ADAPTATION AND TRANSFORMATION, 2023 - PARENT, 2022 - DAUGHTERS SONS MOTHERS FATHERS) by thematizing the transformative potential of art in a broader social concept.

After a series of exhibitions in the Dr.umění series, whose common denominator was artistic research by mature personalities, the new series in 2026 focuses on the work of the emerging generation of artists, specifically those who work in co-authorship.

The curatorial team of Space Olga confirms its long-standing interest in the communicative and transformative power of art in various layers - in its effect on the audience, in its indirect resonance in society, but also in the process of its creation.

At a time of profound crisis, it also gives space to the youngest generation, which has repeatedly proved to be the most progressive social force in history - students and recent graduates.

The interest in self-activation, association, non-hierarchical functioning and critical evaluation of the existing systemic mechanisms is becoming more and more frequent among young artists (for example, they often collaborate voluntarily while studying at school, which is in itself a challenge for a system set up on individual evaluation). The emphasis on listening and relationality as part of the so-called ethical turn in the arts is, among other things, a response by young people to where the political practices of their parents' and grandparents' era have led us - to a cult of individual gratification, unrelativity and irresponsible consumerism, whose legacy is a devastated planet and damaged human and non-human relationships.

The cycle can therefore be seen as a request for intergenerational feedback that can sink in while allowing for revision and shift. The curators of the series want to give space to the voices of the young, whether explicit or subtle, and invite authors and audiences to work together to find impulses for desired change, even on unexpected levels.

The name TEST OF THE SYSTEM deliberately evokes the well-known concept of the "siren test" - i.e. the regular testing of a company's readiness for emergency situations. Just as the siren draws attention to weaknesses in the protection system, the exhibition cycle functions as a symbolic "test" of contemporary social and institutional structures. Here, artistic authorship functions as a tool of verification, exposing limits and seeking new possibilities. In this sense, the exhibition acts as a cultural siren - a call for attention, critical thinking and a willingness to change.