Berlin-based artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset are the subject of the solo exhibition READ at Kunsthalle Praha, Czechia. Curated by the artists themselves, with Prague’s cultural heritage and history as their core inspiration, the exhibition marks their inaugural major solo exhibition in Czechia. Expanding beyond their own creations, Elmgreen & Dragset also introduce works by 60 artists across various time periods, regions, and art historical movements, bringing together selections from the museum's collection as well as contributions from invited artists.

In the exhibition, Elmgreen & Dragset recreate the structure of bookshelves and information desks, transforming the space into a familiar setting of a public library. Focusing on the enduring significance of books throughout history, the artists explore the relationship between individuals and the tangible nature of a ‘book' in a modern society saturated with digital media. The intentional title ‘READ’ not only emphasizes the ‘act of reading’ but also underscores the broader contexts of ‘reading,’ including signs, situations, and atmosphere.

The inspiration for the exhibition traces back to Elmgreen & Dragset's initial encounter with Giorgio de Chirico's Les jouets défendus (Forbidden Toys) (1916) in Kunsthalle Praha's collection, depicting untitled books surrounded by enigmatic objects. Building upon this painting, the duo curated similarly themed works from the museum's collection, supplementing these selections with their own works including Praha Diaries, a performance piece in which six male performers sit at a long table and write in a diary; The Guardian, a large-scale sculpture portraying a figure reading from an elevated position; and an installation that brings together books censored by local governments in the United States, presenting a diverse contextual landscape for the exhibition.

Reflecting on the exhibition, Elmgreen & Dragset articulate, "Prague is a city where written word has a rich, complex history. Upon the invitation to study Kunsthalle Praha’s collection, we approached this exhibition by asking ourselves: ‘What happens to libraries and the printed matter within them if digital technologies were to make them obsolete?’ In the process, we have investigated how artists historically have reimagined and reworked the idea of what a book can be. In a time where books get banned in places where we would not have imagined it in our lifetime, we found it urgent to also include recent history and current practices where books and writing play an important role.”