wish you were here: hanging with the cool kids

May 29, 2011

Meet Factory artist, Joshua Ammon, outside the factory

Near the end of the Tram 12 route, in practically the middle of nowhere Prague, there lives an old meat factory converted into an international centre of contemporary art, the meet factory. Housing visual artists, film, music and theatre, the space fosters creativity and artistic growth. The smell of oil paint and grime overwhelms your senses as you walk through the halls. 

The meet factory, wedged between eight railroad tracks and the interstate, has a formal entrance, and the one everyone uses. Get off the 12 tram, gracefully climb through the electrical tower and hop over the railroad tracks and you're there. It's unclear how illegal that is, but just like smoking pot in Prague, no one really seems to mind.

Founded by legendary, yet controversial artist David Cerny, the meet factory welcomes artists from around the world to come and call a studio space their own. Cerny's intentions were to bring progressive international art into Czech culture, which I think he's beginning to accomplish quite nicely. By allowing some of the most innovative thinkers and doers to live and work in the space, Cerny's laying a solid foundation for a growing Czech art scene. 

Generally speaking, and in my opinion, traditional artists don't call the meet factory home. It's only the most provocative and controversial, or just plain weird and interesting, that make the cut. The artists have to submit proposals for projects and are granted space accordingly. Some artists are even sought out and personally invited to spend time there.

This photo is of Joshua, my semi-subject for the photo documentary I've been working on. Joshua has lived in Prague for a couple years now, but only moved into the factory less than a year ago. He has a studio so he can work on large format paintings. 

I thought this photo depicted him perfectly.