Dear Friends of the Czech Centre,
What a year 2025 has been and what might 2026 bring? A long-standing friend of mine used to say that the only certainty is continuous change and we should embrace and take full advantage of it. In this respect I’m set for a treat right from the beginning of 2026. At the end of January, after nearly seven years, I’ll conclude my mission at the helm of the Czech Centre in London and will be going back to Prague. But before I bid farewell to London, and in so many aspects an amazing job alongside the Czech Centre’s incredible team, there are still several events to which I’m pleased to invite you.
As many of you might recall, part of the recent Made in Prague festival was the very first staging of the opera The Macropulos Case, a compelling story of immortality and love, at the Royal Opera House. At the beginning of the new year the musical genius of Leoš Janáček will again be celebrated with a concert performance of the opera by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
For those of you who have not been able to view our current Czech-British group exhibition led by Paris-based Czech artist Filomena Borecká on the captivating theme of breathing and our deep interconnections with the living world, you have until mid-January to see it.
I’m particularly thrilled that my last programme will be the launch of Pixels and Poetics, a new exhibition with the very timely topic of how to navigate visual complexity and the authenticity of images in our digital and AI-driven world. This dichotomy will be distinctively illustrated through the work of the greatest Czech interwar photographers Josef Sudek and Jaromír Funke contrasted with selected contemporary photographers whose visual images are created by syntheses of AI generative tools, data and digital algorithms. Beyond the visual framework perhaps we should raise the philosophical question of whether we are inevitably entering George Orwell’s world of digitally created uniformity and societal conformity. Definitely an issue to be explored.
Thank you for reading this and perhaps some of the preceding seventy-four newsletter editorials. I have no doubt that the Czech Centre’s diverse and vibrant programming and events as well as its flagship Made in Prague festival, the most prominent showcase of Czech culture in the United Kingdom, have substantially contributed to building bridges, opening dialogues, encouraging new friendships and enhancing Czechia’s image, leading to the further strengthening of our Czech and British relations.
I’m deeply pleased and honoured to have been part of this remarkable endeavour. My heartfelt thanks go to the Czech Centre’s team for its inspiration and dedication to make all these things happen as well as to our partners’ unwavering support. It’s with joy and confidence that I pass the baton to my successor Tereza Šídlová, wishing her and the Czech Centre every success.
With very best wishes,
Přemysl Pela
Director of the Czech Centre
Cover image: Lenka Hámošová (technical collaboration: Pavol Rusnák), Strange Attractions, 2019–2020, multimedia installation
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Pixels and Poetics: Sudek, Funke, and the Influence of New Technologies on the Development of Photography
20 January – 13 March 2026 / Vitrinka Gallery, Bouda Gallery & Public space outside of the Czech Embassy, London
Private View: Tuesday 20 January 2026, 6.30 - 8.30 pm
Pixels and Poetics places interwar masters Josef Sudek and Jaromír Funke in dialogue with contemporary, algorithm-shaped works, tracing photography’s journey from analogue light to AI-generated images and questioning how technology reshapes perception, reality and visual belief in the digital age. More info
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Adéla Součková at The Children Are Now
Till 7 February 2026 / Rice Talbot Gallery, Edinburgh EH8
Czech artist Adéla Součková brings her distinctive voice to The Children Are Now, a major group exhibition exploring how children imagine, resist and reshape the world. Her work adds a powerful perspective to this international dialogue on childhood, rights and resilience. More info
Photo: Adéla Součková, 'hopscotch', 2025, 'The Children are Now', exhibition view, Talbot Rice Gallery, the University of Edinburgh. Photo: Sally Jubb
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Michaela Šindlerová @ Positions in Contemporary Art: Europe Across Borders
Till 23 February 2026 / Europe House, London
Czech artist Michaela Šindlerová is featured in Positions in Contemporary Art: Europe Across Borders, an exhibition showcasing ten emerging artists who explore movement, collectivity, isolation, and the evolving landscape of European culture, borders and cross-cultural exchange. More info
Photo: Michaela Šindlerová and her work You Wouldn't Wake Up If You Wouldn't Fall Asleep II, mixed media on canvas, 170 x 145 cm, 2025, photo: Fiona Hanson
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Silent Systems: Breathing Devices & 'Breathing' With 'Breaths - Air Bladders'
Till 15 January 2026 / Vitrínka Gallery, Bouda Gallery, Czech Centre London
Both exhibitions in our galleries, Silent Systems: Breathing Devices and ‘Breathing’ with ‘Breaths – Air Bladders’ are running till 15 January. Silent Systems features Filomena Borecká and others, exploring breath as an unseen system linking bodies, spaces and machines. ‘Breathing’ with ‘Breaths – Air Bladders’ centres on Borecká’s breathing sculpture, turning respiration into a shared, sensory experience. You can help Filomena in her long-term research related to breath and breathing by filling in a short questionnaire here.
Image: First Touch, Filomena Borecká, ink and color pencils on paper (24 x 32 cm) Paris, 2025
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London Symphony Orchestra: The Makropulos Affair
Tuesday 13 & Thursday 15 January 2026, 7pm / Barbican Hall, London
SPECIAL OFFER: Use promo code CZECH30 at booking to receive a 30% discount (subject to availability).
Experience Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair in concert with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra. Soprano Marlis Petersen stars as Emilia Marty in this intense operatic drama exploring identity, mortality, lost love and some of Janáček’s most compelling music.
Image: London Symphony Orchestra, photo: John Davis
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Leoš Janáček and His Operas (Exhibition)
Till 15 January 2026 / Public space outside the Czech Embassy
Celebrating Janáček’s extraordinary operatic world, this outdoor exhibition outside the Czech Embassy in London showcases archival materials, striking images, and his enduring legacy from Brno to the international stage. More info
Image: The Cunning Little Vixen © National Theatre Brno
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Winter Term 2026 Enrolment
Winter term: 12 January – 2 April 2026
Continue your Czech studies online this Winter Term! Our courses cater to all levels, helping you practise speaking, reading, listening, and writing in a supportive group. Enrolment deadline has been extended to 7 January 2026. More info
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Markéta Luskačová — Šumiac Bread. Slovakia 1967–1974
Cafe Royal Books publishes Šumiac Bread, Slovakia 1967–1974, a 36-page photography book from the archive of Markéta Luskačová, documenting village life, ritual and resilience in Šumiac. An independent publisher, CRB specialises in affordable, limited-edition British documentary photography zines for collectors. More info
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Brundibár Arts Festival: "A Voice Not Stilled"
31 January - 8 February 2026 / Newcastle and Gateshead
Brundibár Arts Festival—named after Hans Krása’s children’s opera Brundibár (bumblebee), first performed by children in Theresienstadt—celebrates music and arts created during the Holocaust. Through concerts, film, poetry and outreach, it highlights lesser-known works and preserves voices for future generations. More info
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