bohemian gathering

the first half of 2008 is passing. meanwhile, my single memory links up with another, just like when i click a word or icon with a link on the net. reminiscing about my amsterdam trip brought back memories of my divine experience in bohemia, where i met several dutch artists a long time ago. in 1996 to be precise. that also happened in early june.
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i was then doing my ma curatorship course at goldsmiths college in london, deeply involved in whimsical contemporary art. anyway, my then project-mate, javier, said we should go to “boemia”, dropping h sound since he’s mexican. he told me that an important symposium was taking place at a disused convent in plasy. i didn’t want to go at first because gary, my best american friend, was staying with me at the time. “go, go, go!” gary insisted to the contrary. he said ok; he would be visiting his ex-boyfriend in wales. so i flew to prague.
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javier gave me a piece of paper he jotted the address on before my departure. i learned that the convent was located in the middle of nowhere. like it or not, my journey was going to be adventurous. in fact i uneasily took a local bus from prague and had to change in pilsen. en route to the convent in plasy wonderfully kind-hearted locals turned up one after another, as if they had known they were bound to guide me. i was more than grateful.
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approaching the convent, i could recognise a man doing some odd job in the grassy garden. he was milos, the organiser of the annual subrosa symposium, welcoming participants there. artists and non-artists like me came all the way by plane, train, then by bus or car from new york, amsterdam and austrian cities to the convent. javier arrived late, almost at midnight, by the way. he brought his new moravian girlfriend along in a nonchalant mexican manner.
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more people from prague gathered the following day. a related three-day event opened with music performances, screenings, photo projections and site specific installations at the gorgeous monastery nearby – the art crowd moved as to the programme – then closed with a symposium. we talked about art, of course, very seriously. i was a first timer to see what the bohemian art gathering was all about. much as i wished to return, it became a one-off event for me. even so, i shall never forget the genuineness of the people who talked about art, as well as the serenity of bohemian rustic charm.
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