Patrik Proško

The Boskovice Festival in the Jewish Quarter always opens a space for both memory and the present. Patrik Proško’s installation Hedgehog in the Cage connects these two dimensions – it recalls historical experience while also prompting reflection on how to face the uncertainties of today. The monumental object rises on the threshold of the Jewish Quarter as a multi-layered image of memory, contemporary threats, and lost ideals. It uses the familiar form of a puzzle, at the core of which lies a tank trap – a symbol of resistance, war, and danger. The confrontation between the playful form and the unsettling content creates a tension that raises a fundamental question: how can we defend the values we consider our own? Proško’s installation shows that tasks which seem simple can, in today’s reality, become unsolvable riddles – whether it’s the war in Ukraine, manipulation in the information space, or global insecurity. The artist emphasizes that the resilience of society does not rest only on individual strength, but on cohesion and cooperation. Hedgehog in the Cage becomes a metaphor for a kind of prevention paralyzed by bureaucracy, populism, or apathy – and therefore also an image of weakened collective will. The choice of placement on the edge of the Jewish Quarter reinforces the historical memory of a place where the experience of threat and disappearance remains ever-present. The object becomes a warning sign that ideals can easily be lost if society fails to agree on how to defend them. A cage can protect or imprison, and the “hedgehog” can be a toy or an instrument of destruction. Hedgehog in the Cage in Boskovice is not only a visually striking object. It is above all an intellectual challenge – a reminder that consensus-based solutions to society’s puzzles are never a given, and that the ability to withstand threats depends on critical thinking, education, and historical experience. Helena Musilová, curator of the project