"Christian Kasners's work 'Nová Evropa' takes us right to the heart of contemporary everyday life in the Czech Republic. A society that oscillates between the idea of a united Europe and anti-European right-wing populism. In the urban landscape and its furnishings, on political posters and billboards, in consumer articles and various uses of public space, Kasners searches for manifestations of ideological and political ideas. His motifs appear banal when viewed in isolation. Through the juxtaposition of the photographs in an artist's book, the observations are condensed. The images run beyond the margins of the pages, instead of being placed singularly with frames on the wall or on the page of the book with plenty of white space.

This creates a linear flow of images that foregrounds the 'interconnectedness' of everyday observations. Thus he makes apparent how historical legacies are overwritten by new forms of use, how the state of a society is inscribed in architectural as well as political gestures. The close interweaving of the observations raises the question of which indicators can be used to read the gradual transformation of a society. What is the relationship between political programs and everyday reality, and how does the design of public space influence the reality of a population's life?

Kasners's images are echoed in a textual work that introduces the European idea and its development since the 20th century. Interacting with quotes from politicians, journalists, and scholars, Kasners's photographic work becomes a visual study of the struggle for a European idea. Viewed the other way around, the theoretical concepts and visions are subjected to a reality check through the photographs."

Text by Christin Müller (translation with deepl.com)

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The work of text mentioned in the last paragraph above IS NOT INCLUDED in the book. It was part of a touring exhibition and will eventually be published in a separate booklet that can be added to the edition but will also stand for itself.