Art 101

A series of interactive lectures offering different ways to understand contemporary art and navigate its diverse approaches. Together, we will explore how art is created, presented and shared, and how we perceive and interpret it. We will look at how artists open up new perspectives on the world, as well as the broader contexts that shape contemporary art and the way the art world operates.

Rather than offering a single interpretation, the series will introduce a range of perspectives, from identity and memory to technology and the environment. Each session will include discussions and shared reflections, creating space to exchange experiences, ask questions and develop your own perspective on contemporary art.

The programme will be held in English, and you can take part either in person at Kunsthalle Praha or online.

Who is your lecturer

Peter Watkins is a British artist and educator based in Prague. His work begins with photography and extends into sculpture, video, installation, and text to examine trauma, loss, history, and the structures through which personal and collective memory are formed. Alongside his autobiographical practice, he develops socially engaged projects that focus on visibility, solidarity, and collective forms of image-making. 

Watkins graduated from the University of Westminster (2008) and the Royal College of Art (2014, Distinction). He lectures in Photography at FAMU, Prague, and is a regular guest speaker at several UK universities. 

His work has been exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions at Galerie NoD (Prague), Webber Gallery (London), Open Eye Gallery (Liverpool), The Ravestijn Gallery (Amsterdam), Format Festival (Derby), and Brighton Photo Fringe. His projects have been featured in The Guardian, British Journal of Photography, 1000 Words, Numero, Hotshoe, and Photoworks. He has received multiple awards, including the Guernsey International Photography Award (2018) and the Skinnerboox Book Award (2019). His book The Unforgetting was shortlisted for the Rencontres d’ Arles Author Book Award (2020) and named one of The Guardian’s best books of 2019. 

Works from his collaboration with Tereza Zelenková, Index of Time, are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and Museum Winterthur (Switzerland).