Volarism

There are places where history remains ever-present, even though the people who shaped it have long since departed. Volary, a small town in the Šumava region, is one of them.

In 1946, following the end of the Second World War and the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, the majority of the local German population was expelled. Families left behind their homes, their possessions, and the places where generations before them had lived. The town remained, but its identity underwent a fundamental transformation.

I was born in Volary, and many years later, I founded the international art movement "Volarism" here. Consequently, the relationship between the history of a place and the people who inhabit it is not merely an abstract theme for me; it is an integral part of the environment in which I grew up—an environment that continues to influence my work to this day.

However, I do not intend for this exhibition to focus solely on the post-war expulsion of the Germans. Nor do I wish to call into question the suffering caused by the Nazi occupation, or to overlook the historical circumstances that preceded the events of 1946.

I am interested in a much broader question: how easily can a person lose the right to live in a place they consider their home?

We would like to believe that such events belong to the past. Yet, we still witness the displacement of entire communities, the destruction of cities, and the persecution of people based on their nationality, religion, or identity. Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, and other parts of the world serve as a reminder that these are not merely historical issues.

Of course, each of these situations is unique. Their causes, the responsibility of the various actors involved, and the political circumstances cannot simply be equated. Behind every conflict, however, lie specific human lives—lives profoundly shaped by decisions over which the individuals involved often have no control.

And it is precisely here, in my view, that art can play an important role.

Volarism emerged in a region marked by national borders and historical divisions. Today, however, it brings together artists from the Czech Republic, Moldova, Italy, and Romania. We come from diverse backgrounds, employ different visual languages, and do not always share the same opinions. I consider this very diversity to be one of our greatest strengths.

For this exhibition, I invited eight members of Volarism to reflect—through their work—on themes of belonging, personal and collective memory, freedom, and the boundaries we create between one another as a society.

I do not expect them to illustrate historical events or issue political statements. Rather, each artist approaches the subject through their own artistic experience and personal interpretation.

*Who Has the Right to Stay?* is not an exhibition intended to champion one nation or condemn another. Above all, it is an attempt to explore the mechanisms by which people are transformed into "foreigners"—sometimes even in the very places where they were born.

I am convinced that art need not always be pleasant or immediately intelligible. Sometimes, its purpose is to sow doubt, unsettle our certainties, and confront us with questions we might otherwise prefer to avoid.

And it is precisely one such question that this exhibition poses. Who has the right to stay? And who has the right to decide?

Vít Pavlík
Exhibition Curator and Founder of Volarism