Patrik Proško: Hedgehog in a Cage 12. 11. 2026 – 24. 4. 2027
Curator: Helena Musilová
Hedgehog in a Cage, the legendary American mechanical puzzle made famous in the Czech cultural context by the adventure novels of Jaroslav Foglar, serves as a starting point for reflecting on the challenges of our time. Inside the enlarged puzzle, the familiar hedgehog has been replaced by a Czechoslovak anti-tank obstacle developed in the 1930s. The experience of war thus enters the world of Foglar’s stories and the search for the correct solution to releasing an object from its cage. An obstacle designed to stop an enemy is itself confined within a cage. The possibility of defence depends on whether we are able – and willing – to release it.
The red base, blue cage, and white anti-tank obstacle form the Czech tricolour. Red may evoke the victims of war, blue trust and stability, and white purity, but also surrender. The cage itself is similarly ambiguous: it can protect as well as restrict. The national colours through which we express a sense of belonging thus become part of a reflection on what we are prepared to defend together.
Its location beside the National Museum connects the work to events that have shaped our society: the founding of the republic, occupation, resistance, and the restoration of freedom. The museum building itself bears the marks of the attacks of 1945 and 1968. The nearby Czech Radio building reminds us that defence is not only about repelling a military attack. The battles for the radio in May 1945 and its broadcasts during the August 1968 occupation demonstrate the importance of speaking freely to the public and disseminating truthful information.
The confined anti-tank obstacle highlights the difference between being prepared for defence and making the decision to actually defend ourselves. For any state, cooperation with others is essential. International agreements and institutions provide protection, while at the same time placing obligations upon us and requiring collective decisions. This brings us back to the question of when a protective framework helps us and when it may restrict our ability to act.
Proško’s work draws attention to how we engage with our own historical experience. Knowledge of the past does not free us from uncertainty, but it can help us recognise the moment when simply affirming certain values is no longer enough, and action is required to preserve them.
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The invention of the puzzle Hedgehog in the Cage is attributed to James Quinlan, with the first known mention dating back to March 4, 1895. It was later patented by R. W. Cowles on April 7, 1896, in the United States. In Czechoslovakia, the puzzle became widely known thanks to the comic series Rychlé šípy (Rapid Arrows) and the novel The Mystery of the Puzzle (Záhada hlavolamu) by Jaroslav Foglar. In the story, the puzzle serves as a mystical artifact hiding the blueprint for a flying bicycle invented by Jan Tleskač.
The Czech hedgehog – also known as a *rozsocháč* – is a static steel anti-tank obstacle that was used in Czechoslovak fortifications and later used more broadly internationally. Under the name “Czech hedgehog,” it was deployed by the armies of most nations on both sides during World War II and continues to be used to this day. The invention is attributed to Czechoslovak Army Major František Kašík.