Spiritual Culture of Europe Today and Possibilities of Mutual Co-operation  / 1993 /Conference – Association of St.Benedict in Weltenberg / Germany / selection

The situation of European contemporary spiritual art can be from a certain point of view  seen as a starting point of a new art, of a new phenomenon. In the past centuries history of art was predominantly the history of sacral art. Both Church and Art formed a homogenous line in a cosmopolitan birds eye  view as we can see it from the late baroque period. We can say, that the value measures of church , art and society were substantially the same. With coming of modernism and with a change in the dominant position of church the traditional links stopped to work any more and all spiritual creative work has  got into a most peculiar light: while the conservative feeling of the part of Christian public, which takes modern art as „temptation of the world“ – those artists, who feel on inner move to address audience through worth contemporaneous means, carry out their creation work without any backing of the official confessions. On the other hand contemporary spiritual art in Europe definitely does not suffers from lack of valuable works of the top quality. A wider presentation is however missing at adequate level: as an example let us mention enormous difficulties with presenting more extensive symphony works in the current practice of philharmonic orchestras, and that in all countries without any exception. The present spiritual culture mostly covers activities concerning of past epochs, presenting of contemporary works is an exception. In addition wholly spiritual activities often prefer evangelic aims at the expense of the artistic value. We face an urgent necessity of erudite activities which would integrate creative strivings in this sphere into corresponding picture, which would give a more precise idea of the whole. Furthermore, the value of already existing works should be raised to a higher power with an adequate professional framework. It is essential to join all the acquirements of the world avant-garde with the viable streams within the European spiritual art, as authenticity of ecclesiastic activities in the world will be, too, measured by the cultural level, which church presents outwardly. If we get satisfied with only a little – we can easily find out that the salt of our testimony has lost its taste and the ferment of our words will stop stirring the mind of the end of 20th century man.Our festival FORFEST with regard to its possibilities makes following the chamber and experimental forms of the present spiritual art its goal. We are sure that the present time finds almost all progressive activities of the Christian Europe have a common platform which is of a  universal, supra-national character and which in its best manifestations represents the dawn of the art of 21th century.We seem to be witness the birth of a creative art with new value, indeed, and at the same time a logical continuation of humanitarian traditions of previous eras and which offers a real opportunity to revive the already  interrupted continuity. This is why it is essential to combine our effort towards greater aims which would bring a more solid picture from where and where is directed the present spiritual art of Europe.We presume that it is a high time to render and pick-out those progressive efforts of contemporary art which deepen and integrate our inner humanity and that  via the most sophisticated artistic targets, because without mutual and moral support all our justified hopes can be dismissed again. We suppose that the most effective method of backing and presenting contemporary spiritual art is to undertake concrete activities – be it in the form of festivals, congresses, exhibitions or editorial and publishing activities. These activities have one denominator in common: apart from a high professionalism and courage to develop unorthodox ways in searching for new possibilities of applying and work of the contemporary spiritual expression...

Václav Vaculovič