Exhibition: Unter soviel LidernIn search of Rilke with photographs by Jan Jindra
The exhibition Unter soviel Lidern (Under so many eyelids) by Czech photographer Jan Jindra sets off on a photographic expedition the places where Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) lived, loved and worked.
The exhibition Unter soviel Lidern (Under so many eyelids) by Czech photographer Jan Jindra sets off on a photographic expedition the places where Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) lived, loved and worked.
The exhibition, which marks the 150th anniversary of Rilke’s birth on 4 December 2025, focuses on salient locations in the poet’s life. Showing decisive points of reference in his creative process, the photographs are accompanied by quotations and excerpts from Rilke’s literary works and correspondence, providing, in effect, a commentary from the perspective of a highly sensitive author.
Prague features prominently in the exhibition. To this day, Rilke’s birthplace has lost none of its special character; some places there, it seems, have remained untouched by time.
Beyond Prague, the photographs feature places that played an important role in Rilke’s adult life. From Arles and Berg am Irchel to Duino, Paris, Raron, Saint Maries-de-la-Mer, St. Pölten and Venice, as well as Worpswede and Switzerland: Rilke was ever an astute observer of his surroundings. Whether on a brief visit or a longer stay, he often returned and tried to grasp the essence of the inspiring places he saw.
Showcasing photographs mostly taken between 2014 and 2025, the exhibition consciously deals with a section of the unsteady life of a poet who was dependent on patrons, but which took Rilke all over Europe. The photographs look deep into the interior of things, beyond mere topography, the spatiality of the images and the interplay of detail and panoramic perspective mirroring the poetic movements in Rilke’s work.
Jan Jindra (born 1962) studied photography at the FAMU film school in Prague and often devotes himself to photo cycles on a particular theme. One of these, on Kafka, resulted in the book S Kafkou na cestách (Travels with Kafka), published in 2024. He has won many internationally recognised prizes for his work. Since 2002, he teaches advertising photography and applied graphics in the Faculty of Multimedia Communications at Tomáš Bata University in Zlín.
Sponsored by the Adalbert Stifter Verein – Kulturinstitut für die böhmischen Länder, the Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfonds and the Tomáš Bata University in Zlín, Faculty of Multimedia Communications.
(MVHS) V210006
