Czech culture this week: Revisit '80s Berlin and explore vintage poster art

Individual vs. society|Fathia Mohidin: Chop Chop Corporal is at Gallery 35M2 until Jan. 14. The contemporary art installation is a material and emotional way of talking about the role of the individual in today's society, which is organized, mechanized, connected, and global. The 35m2 is an artist run space and non-profit gallery for contemporary artistic activity.

Not just toys|Admire Czech design at the Tititi - Toys and Objects exhibition until Feb. 26 at The Museum of Arts and Crafts in Prague. More than just toys, the wooden creations that are part of the Tititi brand, founded in 2019 by Tereza Talichová, personify artists or dramatic characters from theatrical or literary works, viewed through a playful lens and with attention to detail.

Commercial art|Explore visual communication through The Language of the Poster 1890–1938 exhibition at The Museum of Decorative Arts until April 9. Divided into three thematic blocks – Art, Advertising, Ideology – it features works by international artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jules Chéret and Howard Chandler Christy, as well as by Czech artists such as Vojtěch Preissig, František Zelenka and Vilém Rotter.

Back to Berlin|Take a trip down down nostalgia lane with Project Music ft. 80s Berlin on Jan. 11 at Kunsthalle Praha. As the name suggests, the project immerses the audience into the music scene of Berlin in the 1980s through the immersive projection of video clips showcasing post-punk, goth and German New Wave artists.

Songs for Ukraine|Ukrainian singer Jerry Heil performs at Retro Music Hall on Jan. 12. The artist, who is also an YouTuber, had several top 5 hits in Ukraine. One of her most recent songs, "When God shut the door," combines a catchy pop melody with lyrics in English and Ukrainian inspired by the Russian invasion in the country. Part of the profits from the concert go towards supporting Ukraine.

Post-punk mix|The bands Vellocet Roll, Body of Pain and Neue Welt perform at Café V lese on Jan. 13. The trio is a mix of punk, noise, rock, post-punk, elektronika, EBM, minimal synth, and psychedelic music, which you can sample on Bandcamp for Vellocet Roll and Body of Pain, and on Spotify for Neue Welt.

Theater of change| Can anyone teach us how to live and how to be happy ? The play "Cry Baby Cry" on Jan. 11 at Švandovo divadlo na Smíchově (with English supertitles) explores the idea, through the stories of five women who try to find out how they should change their lives.

Madam Butterfly|Listen to Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" (in Italian, with surtitles in Czech and English) at The State Opera on Jan. 12. The love story between Lieutenant F. B. Pinkerton and the 15-year-old Cio-Cio San, nicknamed “Butterfly,” seen through the eyes of Cio-Cio San’s grown-up son, compares and contrasts Japanese and Western culture.

Quarter-life crisis|Sara Baume's "A Line Made by Walking" is at Meet Factory on Jan. 12 and Feb. 13. The dramatization of Baume's novel (with English and Ukrainian subtitles) follows Frankie, a twenty-something artist trying to put order in her thoughts and life, who muses: "For the first time, I admit to myself the possibility that nothing will die, nothing will change, and, perhaps, nothing will happen."

Action thriller|Director Guy Ritchie's latest movie "Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre" is at Kino Aero on Jan. 12. Starring Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Hugh Grant, and Josh Hartnett, the action movie's fast-paced plot revolves around recruiting a Hollywood star for an undercover mission involving deadly new weapons technology.

The Doors redux|Oliver Stone's tribute to the iconic The Doors is at Edison Film Hub on Jan. 13. A digitally restored director's cut, "The Doors: Final Cut" traces the rise and fall of charismatic Jim Morrison, played by Val Kilmer, to a soundtrack of the band's greatest hits. The movie is in theaters for two weeks only.

Iranian cinema| The 10th year of the ÍRÁN:CI Film Festival is in Prague from Jan. 11-15, where it launches with a gala opening at Kino Lucerna, and continues with screenings at Kino Světozor and Bio Oko. The festival will present the best films (with Czech and English subtitles) by Iranian filmmakers in prison or in exile as well as some of the best cinematic works banned in Iran for the past three decades. Read more in our story.