Have you ever told a joke to some friends that was hilarious at work three hours earlier and the result is the longest, most awkward ten seconds of silence? If you have (most everyone in the world has) then you’ve experienced that humor is really nothing less than a fine art, standing the test of each person’s different taste.
In a new exhibition of seven artists’ work entitled ”Where’s Your Sense of Humour” at The Globe Bookstore and Cafe, audiences are invited to explore that phenomenon, and “to judge, to condemn – even to remain indifferent – but above all they are invited to use the occasion to answer the question for themselves,” according to presenting artist John Dodge. The exhibition, curated by Vittorio Rico, explores the subjectiveness of humor and humor as a form of “communication,” rather then “alienation.”
"Tonight" by artist John Dodge
I went to the opening of the exhibition, which will be on display through October 7th, and was impressed at the diversity of the artists and their mediums. The exhibition included paintings, illustrations and photography by artists from all over the world, including Dodge and Kip Allan Bauersfeld from the United States, Elis Unique from Russia, Luis Cerdas Jaubert from Costa Rica, Tatiana Kitaeva from Kazakhstan, Lukos Hey from Australia and Raissa Angeli from Cyprus – you can find more details about each artist at the Facebook page for the event.
Each artist dissects completely different facet of humor, in my opinion, and exemplifies the complexity of what funny is rooted in. For example, there’s the irony in Dodge’s illustrations depicting working middle class American men, which are clever, but uncomfortably tragic at the same time. I was actually sitting next to that particular section of the installation for some time, and the challenge of the pieces was apparent in peoples’ manner of observation – usually everyone gave a sort of immediate chuckle in reaction to the drawn images, followed by a long silence as they proceeded to read the accompanying text, which led to more silence in some, or uncontrollable snorts of laughter in others.
Or there was the clownish obscenity of photography by Unique of naked men posing around the city – certainly the idea of coming across a completely nude man, save for shoes, sitting at a tram stop seems humorous, but the images captured in a photograph makes it either absolutely hilarious or completely gross – I guess it just depends on where your sense of humor is…
It’s an exhibition I would recommend to anyone – it’s not something that just those with a particular interest in art or technique would enjoy, but for anyone who wishes to venture into the depths of what makes us laugh, from the most lighthearted quips to the darkest tragedy and even obscenity, and consider their own boundaries of humor and question how those boundaries might be formed by differences in culture and experiences.
The Globe Bookstore and Cafe where the exhibition is located, if you haven’t been, is an expat haven here in Prague. It’s a very neat place which consists of a bookstore in the front, with a very nice cafe in the back, where the drink and food selection is large and diverse. During the day it’s a nice quiet place to hang out, even do work on your laptop, but transitions nicely to night where people sit and drink with friends either inside among the exhibitions or outside on the patio.
What: “Where’s Your Sense of Humour”
Where: The Globe Bookstore and Cafe at Pštrossova 1925/6
When: Everyday through October 7th
Cost: Free
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