Recovering Everyday Life in the Era of Multiple Crises: Artists, Communities and Institutions in Prague 2025

In recent years, disruptive events such as the global health crisis have profoundly affected individuals and communities throughout Czech society. Many people now face the challenge of integrating these disruptions into their lives while dealing with various gradual disturbances. Factors such as prolonged economic insecurity, rising debt, and environmental changes equally impact established certainties in life. This research focuses on the lived experiences of individuals involved in Prague's cultural and creative sectors. While artists, activists, students, teachers, and others navigate their lives amid multiple crises, many are subjected to institutional-political discourses that advocate a way of existing in the world based on attributes like sacrifice, self-discipline, relentless productivity, and endurance. Rather than yielding to these dominant discourses, some individuals from the cultural and creative sectors adopt a contrasting approach. These artists seek alternative moments and spaces to highlight systemic violations and assert their worldview. In Prague’s vibrant cultural environment, the efforts of artists to live their lives amidst multiple crises manifest through unique local artistic forms.

近年来，全球公共卫生危机等颠覆性事件，对捷克社会的全体个体与社群均造成了深远冲击。如今，诸多民众既要设法将这类颠覆性影响融入日常生计，又需应对各类渐进式扰动。长期经济不稳定、债务高企与环境变迁等因素，同样动摇了人们既定的生活秩序与认知。本研究聚焦于布拉格文化创意产业从业者的切身经历。当艺术家、活动家、学生、教师及其他群体在多重危机中艰难调适生活时，他们中的多数人不得不接受一套制度性政治话语——该话语倡导以牺牲、自律、极致生产力与韧性为核心的生存范式。部分文化创意产业从业者并未屈从于这类主导性话语，而是选择了与之相悖的路径：这些艺术家寻觅另类的时刻与空间，以揭露系统性不公并宣扬自身的世界观。在布拉格生机盎然的文化生态中，艺术家们于多重危机夹缝中营生的努力，通过独具特色的本土艺术形式得以具象呈现。