The Center for Contemporary Arts Prague and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Prague are continuing the activities begun by the Soros Center for Contemporary Art Prague in 1992. These institutions were created in order to support the development of contemporary fine art in the belief that art is an irreplaceable element of harmoniously operating democratic society. The founder and employees of the center are firmly of the opinion that through their activities the artist symbolizes and each in their own way realizes the process of free and creative human decision-making. The institution aims to support outstanding artistic projects and to present them to the general public.
The Center for Contemporary Arts Prague (CCA Prague) was originally the Soros Center for Contemporary Art Prague (SCCA Prague), which was founded in 1992. For ten years CCA Prague was supported by the philanthropist George Soros (Open Society Institute New York) with an annual grant of USD 200,000 and through the financing of the participation of the Czech Republic at international exhibitions (Sao Paulo, Manifesta 1,2), creative residencies by Czech artists in global art centers, subscriptions to important specialist magazines, etc.
During these ten years CCA Prague created a library, extensive documentation, organized five large exhibitions, three of which could be deemed trailblazing in their field (Orbis fictus in 1996 was the first Czech exhibition devoted to new media, Artwork in Public Spaces 1997–98 gave a boost to the activities of public art, and Politiku-um / New Engagement in 2002 ushered in a tradition of exhibitions of political art). Since 1997 CCA Prague has organized a total of 160 exhibitions of young Czech artists from in the gallery Regionální chodba and the Jelení Gallery.
The center was also active in the sphere of creative residencies for artists. In 1994 CCU Prague was the founding member of Res Artis, an international association of residential centers. At the same time it was the project administrator of ArtsLink, as part of which Czech artists and curators had the chance to travel to the USA on study trips. In 1997 CCU Prague opened three studios in a building in Jelení Street and from 1998 to 2002 rented Čimelice Castle for this purpose. Up till now CCA has arranged residencies for approximately two hundred foreign artists in the Czech Republic. Since 1995, thanks to the significant financial assistance of the American private Trust for Mutual Understanding, CCA has sent dozens of Czech artists to important foreign art centers.
The center works closely with its founder, the Foundation for Contemporary Art.
