Jindřich’s Model #6: Rafani

Rafani: The Illusion of Cohesion
“Imagine living in a harmonious society in which we respect each other.”
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Rafani, as the only art group in the history of the Jindřich Chalupecký Award, participated in its finals twice, in 2004 and 2006. From October 20 to 24, 2006, members of the group prepared hot meals and drinks in improvised conditions in front of the Brno House of Arts. The Rafani used the art house only as a background and a source of electricity for the soup kitchen. They did not make any traditional works of art or documentation available to the organizers and did not enter the exhibition space at all. During the opening, they distributed spray paints to local Roma children and instructed them to spray colored wheels on the gallery wall.
Since its inception in 2000, the group has occupied a specific position on the Czech art scene with its controversial projects which cleverly and often provocatively draw attention to social traumas and taboos. They approach topics such as collective memory and guilt, morality and responsibility with a committed and concrete approach. Their activities are mainly in the field of performance and social interventions, but they also create installations, video essays and films. Rafani regularly exhibits both in the Czech Republic and abroad.