The Department of IRES at Upfront in War Zones

3. 6. 2016 Author: Šárka Kolmašová On the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the MUP, the Department of International Relations and European Studies (IRES) organized a commented tour in the DOX Centre of Contemporary Art. On the 20th of May, all participating students met with the Head of the Department, Mitchell Belfer and the Deputy Head, Šárka Kolmašová in the main hall of the centre. Students had an opportunity to visit a unique architectonical masterpiece, which was intentionally designed as a labyrinth to resemble the disarray of contemporary art. The primary aim of the tour was a commented exhibition of photographs from war zones with an apt title “Upfront”. Overall, the centre seeks to present exhibitions showing how politics is merging with art, including thought provoking and controversial installations. Upfront accomplished the mission completely.

Before the actual tour, the commentator introduced the background of the exhibition, while reflecting on work of war photojournalists and various dilemmas they are facing. Should they intervene in the situations they are shooting if their help is needed? Are they misusing the tragedy of other people for their professional career? Or, in the case of the exhibited photos, is it worthy to risk own life to share the experience, especially if the authors do not have any material support of a particular institution? Well, at least to the last question students replied by one voice positively.

The exhibition included about 70 pictures by Hispanic authors, most of them holders of prestigious international prizes. Despite they were supposed to be exclusively from war-zones, the exhibited pictures showed various crises situations not necessarily involving armed conflicts. The common denominator was rather individual people in extreme situations, which evoked strong emotions and triggered imagination of what were the stories behind the pictures. Very often the photos tended to play with a misperception and only after reading the tags, the actual context was revealed. This clearly demonstrated how easily we can be manipulated by powerful images if they are presented to support concrete political agendas.

After completing the tour, we moved to the beautiful terrace café in the second floor. Over a coffee and cake, we shared our impressions from concrete pictures and debated the crises they aimed to grasp. Obviously, this was one of the artistic experiences, which leave a trace and do not allow simply consuming the entertainment. The exhibition literally transferred us Upfront human disasters caused by failures in international political affairs. We said goodbye with a promise to organize similar excursions in future.

Other items from the/this section

Final Workshop & Book Launch in Szeged Final Workshop & Book Launch in Szeged 17. 9. 2025 Author: Ladislav Cabada Metropolitan University Prague was represented by Professor Cabada, Vice-Rector of MUP, co-investigator of the project “Urban Post-COVID Recovery in the V4 Countries” and co-editor of the book “Urban Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic” at a conference at the University of Szeged in Hungary on 11–12 September 2025. Populism, Foreign Policy, and a Week of Intense Debate: PhD Summer School at MUP Populism, Foreign Policy, and a Week of Intense Debate: PhD Summer School at MUP 9. 6. 2025 Author: Šárka Kolmašová From June 2 to 6, the Center for Security Studies (C4SS) at Metropolitan University Prague hosted a week-long Doctoral Summer School under the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), taking on one of today’s most urgent political questions: How is populism reshaping foreign and security policy in Central and Eastern Europe? The event gathered PhD students from Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Portugal, and Bulgaria, each bringing fresh insights and case studies from their own regions. Across five packed days—and two preparatory online sessions—participants dissected narratives, analyzed media, pitched research, and explored publishing strategies with a lineup of top-tier scholars. South Africa and Beyond – An International Student Trade Fair at MUP South Africa and Beyond – An International Student Trade Fair at MUP 19. 5. 2025 Author: Tereza Němečková On Tuesday, 13 May 2025, we had the honour of welcoming students from the Tshwane School for Business and Society, our partner university in South Africa, who participated in an international student trade fair organized by the African Studies Centre and the Department of International Business.
přejít do rubriky

Calendar

27/10 2025 Rector's Day In connection with the public holiday held on 28 October 2025, MUP Rector declared Monday, 27 October 2025, Rector's Day. 13/11 2025 E-evidence as a New Challenge of EU Counterterrorism Center for Security Studies at MUP cordially invites you to attend a public lecture by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellow at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism, The Hague, Isabella Pirlogea on E-evidence as a New Challenge of EU Counterterrorism. 25/11 2025 Geopolitical Crossroads: Malaysia at the Heart of Southeast Asia The Department of Asian Studies cordially invites to a public lecture titled "Geopolitical Crossroads: Malaysia at the Heart of Southeast Asia". 04/12 2025 Fight against Terrorist Financing: Roles of the EU and Private Actors Center for Security Studies at MUP cordially invites you to attend a public lecture by our Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellow Elena Martynova on Fight against Terrorist Financing: Roles of the EU and Private Actors.
Go to Calendar