Czech Centre London

Women in Focus: Míla Fürstová

Czech Centre's Women in Focus series continues before the summer with a talk by the Czech-British internationally acclaimed artist Míla Fürstová. During her talk, Míla will share her journey from communist Czechoslovakia to the United Kingdom, and her professional transition to art. She will discuss the challenges she encountered during her studies and early stages of her professional artistic career, her collaboration with Coldplay’s Chris Martin and the influence motherhood has had on her artistic work. Last but not least, Míla will talk about her most recent exhibition projects in Czechia and her work in public spaces in London.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT:

‚My work is an intimate portrayal of the human soul explored through the medium of etching, expressed in a distinctly female voice.

The content is inspired by universal and personal mythologies. The work is poetic and often narrative in its nature and reads as both contemporary and timeless. I cut, fold and overlay my works, often printing on glass or other transparent surfaces thus creating imagery that is multidimensional in terms of both form and meaning.

The feminine voice of my work is tactile and urgent, fragile yet strong, gentle yet enquiring. At times it floats weightlessly above the labyrinth of being a woman at other times it delves into the darkest corners of the female psyche.

The technique of etching uniquely reflects and informs the spirit of my work. I draw with a needle onto a plate, allowing the image to quietly grow, whilst a fragile silver line emerges from a dark background as if a distant memory was traced from the unconscious. The initial image undergoes metamorphosis as the alchemical process of etching progresses through each of its stages.‘ -  Míla Fürstová

ABOUT MÍLA FÜRSTOVÁ

Over the past decade Míla Fürstová has exhibited in over 20 solo shows in many countries including Britain, the USA, France and the Czech Republic. During this time she has won numerous awards and her work has featured in many international publications. Prestigious private and public collections including the Royal Collection, the V&A and The Museum of London have acquired her work.

Born in Czechoslovakia, Fürstová gained an MA degree in Art, English Language and Psychology at the Charles University in Prague whilst simultaneously studying for her BA degree in Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Gloucestershire. In 2001, Fürstová received her Masters degree at the Royal College of Art and has subsequently lectured at Coventry University and The University of Gloucestershire.  

In 2003 Fürstová was appointed the first Artist in Residence at the Cheltenham Ladies' College where she established and ran an etching studio until 2010. In 2009 she became the youngest ever Academician elected to the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol.  

In 2014 Fürstová's work reached over 400 million people when she was commissioned to make the artwork for Coldplay's Ghost Stories album and four singles. In 2015 the sale of her Coldplay artwork raised over £100,000 in aid of children's charities.  

In 2017, Fürstová won a commission to represent Mattoni in the Czech Republic, meaning that her artwork was printed on one million bottles of Mattoni water and featured as two 25 metre sculptures in her home country.

In 2019, Fürstová was commissioned to create artwork for the Czech TV series 'Vodník', which was awarded the most prestigious Czech film award. Also in 2019 a large monograph of Fürstová's work of the last twenty years was published. 

 The largest retrospective of Míla Fürstová’s work to date is currently on show at The Museum of Easter Bohemia in Hradec Králové, a city Míla grew up in. Delicate Matters (Taj jemnosti anebNávraty domů) remains open till 27 October 2024.

Another exhibition featuring Míla’s work, Time for Love (Lásky čas) is on show in the Czech town of Třeboň until 23rd June 2024.

Míla’s large-scale installation ‚Motherhood‘ can be found in London’s Marylebone Road, commemorating the old Queen Charlotte's Lying-In Hospital, one of the first hospitals to provide medical care to unmarried women. Míla won Westminster City Council’s competition for the commission of the work.

Míla Fürstová currently lives and works in Cheltenham.

Míla Fürstová will be in conversation with Jana Tillotson

Jana Tillotson is Mila’s friend of twenty years. She is another example of the generation of Czechs born in the 1970s who in the years following the turnover ventured forth in pursuit of higher education abroad. In Jana’s case this took the form of degrees in Russian Politics from the UCL and Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She currently lives in London with her partner and two children and works as a medical writer.

 

The event took place on TUE 25 JUN 2024 19:00 at Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema.

 

More information:

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/women-in-focus-mila-furstova

 

#womeninfocus #milafurstova #czechcentrelondon

Women in Focus: Kamila Kopřivová

Event took place on TUE 16 APR 2024 at the Czech Centre, Czech Embassy Cinema, London.

 

Czech Centre's Women in Focus series continues with a talk by Kamila Kopřivová, the first Czech female rabbi. She will share the story of her journey to the rabbinate moving through Berlin, Jerusalem and London and how she became one of the rabbis of the synagogue that exactly 60 years ago became the home of more than 1500 Torah scrolls from the Czech Republic. What are the challenges of modern clergy and how is it to be a woman in this position?

 

ABOUT KAMILA KOPŘIVOVÁ

Kamila Kopřivová was ordained in September 2023 and has since served as a rabbi at the Westminster Synagogue at the Kent House in London.

She became interested in religion as a child, although she had intended to pursue a career as a scientist.  In her teens, a teacher gave her Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim and this sparked her desire to know more about Judaism. She earned her PhD in Jewish Theology at Charles University, Prague, and went on to study at Abraham Geiger Kolleg in Potsdam, and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Journalism has also been part of her development. She worked as a Science writer and social media manager while at Charles University and she has lectured both there and at the Faculty of Arts, Potsdam University, on the ‘Challenges of twenty-first century Judaism’ and on Biblical Hebrew.

While studying in Jerusalem, she met Rabbi Benji Stanley, the Rabbi of Westminster Synagogue, which she knew was a a place very closely connected to Czech Jewish heritage. Then, still while continuing her training at Leo Baeck College, she came to be the Westminster Synagogue's student rabbi.  

Kamila Kopřivová will be in conversation with Jasmyn de Vien.

Jasmyn de Vien was raised by her Viennese grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, on a small island in Western Canada. She studied in Belgium, completed her teacher training in Prague and now works for the High Commission of Canada.

 

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/women-in-focus-kamila-koprivova

 

#womeninfocus #rabbi #westminstersynagogue

Smetana Unveiled: Exploring the Man, the Music and the Myths

Join us to celebrate the bicentenary of Bedřich Smetana, the Czech composer whose melodies have echoed through generations and whose music includes the enchanting cycle of symphonic poems My Country and the popular opera The Bartered Bride. Delve into Smetana's fascinating journey with us as we explore his tumultuous life, his unwavering nationalist spirit, and his enduring impact on the Czech musical heritage. From the heartrending strains of his orchestral works to the poignant tales woven into his operas, Smetana's oeuvre captures the essence of Czech identity and resilience. Our distinguished panel of experts, including Jan Smaczny, emeritus professor at Queen's University Belfast, Dr. Thomas Jaermann, composer and musicologist, and Sandra Bergmannová, Director of the Bedřich Smetana Museum, will reveal the mysteries behind Smetana's life and work. Tomáš Hanus, Music Director of Welsh National Opera will discuss (via ZOOM from Brno) the latest production of Smetana's opera Dalibor, directed by Sir David Pountney in Brno which he conducted. Chaired by John Allison, Editor of Opera magazine.

Part of the Year of Czech Music and Smetana 2024.

In collaboration with the Czech Tourism.

SPEAKERS:

Sandra Bergmannová

Sandra Bergmannová is the Head of the Bedřich Smetana Museum – National Museum in Prague. She is one of the main authors of the exhibition Famous Czech Composers (2020-2022) and the books of the same name in Czech and English. In the research on the life and work of Bedřich Smetana she specializes on creating of the online catalogue of works and is head of the project of the critical edition of the 3rd volume of Smetana’s correspondence (1875-1879). Previously she worked as a musicologist at the Bohuslav Martinů Institute in Prague, where she stood at the beginning of the crucial projects, such as: digitisation of Bohuslav Martinů’s works, Martinů database online, and Bohuslav Martinů Complete Critical Edition.

Tomáš Hanus

Tomáš Hanus, Music Director of the Welsh National Opera, is recognised as one of the Czech Republic’s most exciting and important conductors. He has conducted at major European opera houses including the Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Royal Danish Opera, Oslo Opera House, Teatro Real Madrid and the Teatro alla Scala. In demand as a conductor of symphonic music, he has conducted many prestigious orchestras including the LSO, SWR Symphonieorchester Baden-Baden, Czech Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He opened the 2023 Prague Spring Festival with WNO Orchestra with Smetana’s Ma Vlast. In February 2024 Tomáš returned to the Brno Theatre with a new production of Dalibor.

Dr Thomas Jaermann

Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, Dr Thomas Jaermann obtained a PhD in musicology from the University of Zurich for his research on music and national identity. His postdoctoral research resulted in the award of the inaugural Recognition Prize from the G. A. Derungs Foundation for his compilation of a catalogue of the complete works by Swiss composer Gion A. Derungs. Since moving to the UK, Thomas has taught music and German at independent schools in the London and South East areas. His current research involves the life and work of composer Bedřich Smetana and his most recent invited paper on Smetana was presented as part of the 2023 international conference on Bedřich Smetana and European Opera in Litomyšl, and is due to be published in 2024. Thomas also composes music including piano, chamber music and orchestral film scores.

Jan Smaczny

Jan Smaczny is well known as an authority on many aspects of Czech music. His publications include books on Dvorak’s B-minor Cello Concerto, the repertoire of the Prague Provisional Theatre, many articles, chapters and major encyclopaedia entries on Czech music and culture as well as edited volumes on Irish Music and Bach’s B-minor Mass. Jan is a graduate of Oxford University and studied for two years at the Music Faculty of the Charles University, Prague. He is the Sir Hamilton Harty Professor of Music Emeritus at Queen’s University, Belfast.

Chair:

John Allison

John Allison is Editor of Opera magazine and a music critic with a special interest in the culture of Central and Eastern Europe. He was born in South Africa and completed his PhD while playing the piano and working as assistant organist at Cape Town cathedral. Since moving to London in 1989 he has written for publications around the world, authored books and served on the juries of many international competitions. He co-founded the International Opera Awards in 2013. 

The event took place on Tue 12th March 2024 at the Czech Embassy Cinema.

More info about upcoming events:

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program

#smetana #yearofczechmusic #czechclassicalmusic

Women in Focus: Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines

This February our Women in Focus series presents a very special speaker: Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines. During her talk, Lady Milena will share her life-long experiences including her recollection of WWII and Nicholas Winton's Kindertransport from Prague to London, her early days in a new country and her rich professional career that led her from business to education and charity work. Lady Milena will also discuss her first memorable encounter with Sir Nicholas Winton at BBC studios and how their relationships gradually evolved into a genuine friendship.

ABOUT LADY MILENA GRENFELL-BAINES

Born Milena Fleischmannová in Prague, young Milena grew up in the Chrudim district in a family with close ties to the Czech artistc scene. When she was three, Milena’s mother died in childbirth and her father soon remarried. In July of 1939, nine-year-old Milena and her three-year-old half sister left Prague on what became the last kinder transport train to the United Kingdom organised by Nicholas Winton. The girls stayed with a foster family in Ashton-under-Lyne and Milena attended a local school there before moving on to attend The Czechoslovak State School established by the Czech government in exile in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales.

After the war, Milena trained as a children’s nurse and in 1954 married British architect and urban planner Sir George Grenfell-Baines. Following a brief holiday in France, Lady Milena’s career took a different turn when she was offered a role as a cookery interpreter, starting her long career in the cookery business. Known to many as ‘Lady Remoska’, Milena is credited for introducing the Czech cook pan Remoska to the British market.

Another significant event in Lady Milena’s life was her meeting with Sir Nicholas Winton during the BBC Programme ‘That’s Life’. Disclosing Winton’s involvement in the saving of 669 children from Czechoslovakia before the outbreak of WW2, the programme arranged for many of those children to attend the live screening, Milena being one of them.

Throughout her life, Lady Milena has been actively involved in Czech-British cultural and social relations and pursued her life-long interest in classical music. She has been awarded a number of honours both in Czechia and the UK, including the Jan Masaryk Gratias Agit and MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). For the last 10 years, she has been giving talks at schools on behalf of the Holocaust Educational Trust.

The Q&A was chaired by journalist Ivan Kytka.

 

Talk + Q&A took place on Tue 27th February 2024 at the Czech Embassy Cinema.

 

More information about up-coming events:

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program

 

#womeninfocus #ladymilena #czechcentrelondon

Women in Focus: Ivana Kottasová

Czech Centre's Women in Focus series continues with a talk by CNN journalist Ivana Kottasová. Ivana will speak about her work as a reporter and her experience covering the conflict in Ukraine. She will discuss the professional and personal challenges — and rewards — of being a journalist and talk about her career journey to one of the biggest newsrooms in the world.

 

ABOUT IVANA

Ivana Kottasová is a journalist covering international news, conflict and human rights.  As a senior producer at CNN International in London, she focuses on breaking news across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Most recently, she traveled to Israel and the West Bank to report on the October 7 terror attack by Hamas, and the subsequent ground invasion by Israel Defence forces in Gaza. In 2022, she covered the build-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the battle for Kyiv and she continues to report regularly on the war and the human impacts of the ongoing conflict. She was part of CNN reporting teams awarded, among others, a duPont-Columbia Award, a Foreign Press Association Award and an Emmy. Ivana Kottasová began her career in the Czech Republic, working for various Czech newspapers and magazines, and the Czech Radio.

 

Talk and Q&A took place on THU 25 JAN 2024 19:00 at the Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema.

 

More information about upcoming events:

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program