From Paris to Žďár: Marie Kinsky on art, identity and building a place where creativity can thrive
In the latest episode of Czechast, Marie Kinsky looks back on more than twenty-five years spent in Czechia after moving from her native France. She discusses how the historic Kinsky estate at Žďár nad Sázavou has evolved into a centre for culture, creativity and international exchange, while also reflecting on identity, roots and the remarkable changes she has witnessed in Czech society.
When Marie Kinsky first arrived in Czechoslovakia shortly after the Velvet Revolution, she found a country still emerging from decades of communist rule. Shops were fuller than before, but society itself was only beginning to rediscover confidence.
"It was not possible to communicate with people. It wasn't just a question of language. People were afraid. They walked looking at the ground, without making eye contact. I remember it took almost ten years before I could simply have a spontaneous conversation with someone I had never met." Today, she says, the difference is striking.
"People have much more self-confidence. It's as if they used to wear a hood over themselves, and then they finally threw it away." For Marie Kinsky, that growing confidence is one of the most significant transformations she has witnessed during her years in the country.
A château that became a meeting place
A former dancer and choreographer, Marie Kinsky never intended simply to preserve a historic family estate. Together with her husband Constantin, she developed a long-term vision of turning the château in Žďár nad Sázavou into a living cultural centre rather than a monument frozen in time.
"We wanted to create a place where different kinds of people could meet. Local people might come from the Vysočina Region, or they might come from Taiwan or Ghana. The point is to create a melting pot where people can be creative together."
That vision gradually evolved into the Museum of the New Generation, the KoresponDance Festival and, most recently, a new international creative centre hosting artists, scientists and innovators from around the world. Rather than presenting history through dates and facts alone, the museum encourages visitors to experience the place emotionally and creatively.
"We didn't ask ourselves how to build a museum. We asked what we wanted people to experience. The museum is not about facts, names and dates. It's about understanding the place." The artistic approach reflects Kinsky's own background. "I'm no longer dancing on stage, but choreography is still present in everything I do. Even the Museum of the New Generation is, in many ways, a choreography."
Identity is never fixed
Perhaps the most philosophical part of the conversation comes when Kinsky reflects on identity—a question she says people ask her constantly after spending more than twenty-five years living in Czechia. Rather than offering a simple answer, she challenges the question itself.
"Identity is a very difficult word. It can easily become a pretext for nationalism or populism, and that worries me." Instead, she prefers to speak about roots.
"I would rather talk about roots—our education, our experiences, our past. Identity changes. When I speak English, I have one identity. When I speak Czech, I have another. When I stand in front of an audience, I have yet another."
Migration, she argues, is not an exception in human history but one of its defining characteristics. "We are all migrants. Human beings have always moved. Plants have always travelled too. Everything travels."
Asked where she feels at home today, her answer is equally revealing. "When I'm in Paris, I feel at home. When I'm here, I feel at home. But at the same time, I don't really belong to a place. Home is where I can do meaningful work." For Marie Kinsky, success is measured not only by buildings restored or festivals organised, but by seeing ideas take on a life of their own.
"When I see projects that we started twenty-five years ago now being carried forward by other people, that's probably what makes me proudest." And if visitors leave Žďár with one thing, she hopes it is not simply knowledge about the château. "I would love people to leave this place knowing a little better what they want to do—and perhaps a little better who they are."
The full, unabridged interview with Marie Kinsky is available in the latest episode of Czechast on all major podcast platforms.
