Ester Geislerová: What We Should’ve Said but Didn’t [screening + talk]

Alongside screening selected videos from her acclaimed exhibition What We Should’ve Said but Didn’t (Kunsthalle Praha, 2024), Geislerová will speak about her creative methods and her inspiring career as a truly hybrid cultural figure—moving fluidly between roles of artist, actress, educator, and influencer.

In her project What We Should’ve Said but Didn’t, Geislerová examines the fragile dynamics of intimacy and romantic relationships through ten short films. Shown as a large-scale, multi-channel installation at Kunsthalle Praha in 2024, the work combined cinematic language with the immersive grammar of contemporary video art.

Audiences at the Czech Center will have the chance to watch selected films from the project and join a conversation with Geislerová about her methods and her ongoing exploration of intimacy through the lens of contemporary art.

In What We Should’ve Said but Didn’t, Geislerová worked in close collaboration with performers, many of them her close friends, staging confessional monologues drawn from texts written by their partners or by the artist herself. Some actors did not know the words they spoke had been written for them by loved ones—creating a dual reality where the personal became theatrical and the theatrical became intimate. Costumes, masks, and props co-created with the actors introduced symbolic figures such as a knight, a mermaid, and horsemen, embodying emotions, desires, and the need for closeness.

“I’m interested in the moment when and how two people stop understanding each other. What happens to our social skills when communication becomes too painful? Why do the words of the other sound like they’re from another planet even though we speak the same language?” —Ester Geislerová

“Ester offers an opportunity to connect with those parts of our personalities that often remain neglected, unexpressed and silent. And she has found a way to speak, to start a conversation. That’s sometimes the hardest thing to start…”—Denisa Václavová, curator

The project also contributes to raising awareness about therapy and psychological help, challenging the stigma around seeking support.

About the artist
Ester Geislerová is a Czech visual artist and actress. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (New Media II, Anna Daučíková), she also studied in Jiří David’s Intermedia Confrontation Studio at UMPRUM.
Her works have been presented at Kunsthalle Praha, MeetFactory, and the Moravian Gallery in Brno, among others. In 2024, her project What We Should’ve Said but Didn’t transformed an entire gallery into a multi-channel installation blending film, performance, humor, and ritual.
She is also co-creator of Terapie sdílením (Therapy of Sharing), a cultural phenomenon spanning social media, books, and live performances. Coming from a prominent Czech artistic family, she continues to bridge film, art, and psychology in her work.

DISCLAIMER

Tickets and Admission: Tickets are free and may be sold in excess of venue capacity. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; late arrivals may be denied entry once capacity is reached. All ticket sales are final. Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the show starts; latecomers may be refused admission.

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