Ondřej Riffler (*1996) graduated from the Secondary School of Industry in Šumperk with a degree in Information Technology (2015) and graduated from the University of Hradec Králové (2020) with a degree in Information Management. During his studies at the university he became a member of the editorial team of the Prague magazine Czechmag. He worked there for several years, writing reviews of music albums, mapping the latest foreign projects or adding his own views on social events through satirical articles. Ondřej then expanded his editorial portfolio with a two-year stint at The-Mag magazine, where he was in charge of the sports section. After successfully completing his studies, Ondřej started working at Tesco SW, a local IT company in Olomouc, where he still works as an IT analyst. In his spare time, Ondřej continues to pursue his hobbies related to culture and the arts, most recently his new podcast on the Telegraph.
Your background in IT is a "contrast" to the world of culture. How did you go from studying information management to becoming an editor?
When I think about it sometimes, it's a pretty funny story that proves how intertwined and random everything in life is (or just isn't). It started somewhere before high school, when I was deciding what major to go into. I actually chose a path that paradoxically led me away from the cultural and artistic world, only to end up crossing that "contrasting" arc to enter the world of culture and later art a few years later. I had been painting and drawing a lot since I was a kid, and I was quite good at drawing, which is why I tried the talent show for graphic design in Šumperk. I finished first below the line of accepted applicants, but I would have gotten through the appeal just fine. My mom kind of pushed me into something else, more technical, so I could use it later in college and at work. At that time, about twelve years ago, there was a terrible boom in those technical fields, led by IT, and conversely those arts fields weren't nearly as coveted as they are these days. The only thing I knew about graphic design was that I would have to paint and draw all the time, stay late at school every day by myself without friends. All that put me off a bit and, with the added benefit of not having much information about what I could do afterwards, I chose the safer route and went to study IT instead, which is where my friends went. You know what, at 15 you just want to hang out with your mates, play football, games, booze, well just everything you can in the village and not really explore what school might bring and how it might shape you professionally. So my own choices plus the incompetence of our education system contributed to me going down that IT path. And even though I had a little bit of a twinge before college that maybe I would change majors because I had a different idea of what IT might be, I still took the safer route and continued in that field. Because I knew that I could hopefully finish it and then get a good foothold. Well, in my second year at college in Hradec I met Adam, my friend, whose friend Martin was shooting for Czechmag at the time. We talked about Czechmag, that there were nice people there and that it was a great platform for some original writing and that they were looking for editors. Well, since I found out in high school after a few essays and in college after a few term papers that I was pretty good at writing, I tried to write a few sample articles and boom, in a few weeks I was writing for them and the writing lasted for the next x years. Well, it was through editorial work that I opened the door to the world of culture and, moving on a few years, actually to the Telegraph. Vojtech, a friend of mine, once told me that if I had gone into graphic design then, I would have been sitting on the other side of that microphone. It's possible, but that's just the alternate reality I don't live in, and I wish that for Andrew in the alternate world he's chosen. It led me here, which isn't so bad either.
What can you tell us about your work as a "IT guy"?
Heading "IT guy" (btw I don't like that word)... it's definitely different than people think. In general, there are typical Czech prejudices around the IT field and the people who work in it. Society has learned to perceive "IT people" as some sweaty nerds who sit behind a computer 24/7 and tap something on a keyboard. Of course, there are and will be many of them, but realistically the IT field is very diverse nowadays and it is not just about tapping on the keyboard. I could even find a few comparisons to the art world in this field. You probably have to have some talent for it, and even if you learn it, you still have to have some innate logical reasoning that you have to be able to apply on the job. Which I don't have much of, so I wanted to get away from that sometimes, but that's just because I've been living in those preconceptions a little bit too. Because it's also a creative activity to some extent, where you just have to think in some context, and in the beginning maybe you have a problem and you have to meet it. It's like when you want to, I don't know, paint a picture and you have a result in front of your eyes, a vision, and you have to figure out how to get there and make it happen. For example, I'm an IT analyst and my job is to be able to think like that and solve problems, where you have some software where the customer wants something to work according to their ideas and you have to implement that idea using IT tools and hand it over to the programmers to program it. And it's not easy at all, unless you're a pure IT type, like that's the kind of people that are born and can do it like anything. But if you're not like that, it's a struggle, and if anyone thinks you're just sitting in an office and slacking off, they're wrong. Although of course sometimes maybe you are, but it's just redeemed by the fact that you're straining your brain a lot and if you don't know how to do something, you just have to figure it out and that's mentally quite challenging and exhausting. So that's about it.
How do you rate your time at Czechmag and The-Mag magazines?
It was great, it was a great challenge for me and overall it pushed me in every direction. You see, I grew up in a village and generally in a neighbourhood where people don't have much ambition. The average person goes to work when they turn 18, has kids, builds a house near their parents, marries someone from the neighborhood, that's it. I don't have anything against it, but I think this is the life pattern and the outdated thinking of our parents' generation. Everyone should try to find something they're good at, something they enjoy and find most fulfilling. I've always wanted to contribute something to the world, so being able to write articles for Prague magazines where I could express my own opinions (which I've always considered relevant haha) and overall be able to capitalize on my talents in some way was a great satisfaction. I've loved listening to music since I was a kid, especially rap music, and I'm pretty into it, so the opportunity to write about all the stuff I had in my head was a fulfillment of a vision of mine. In Czechmag I was writing mainly about rap, reviews of records, doing some previews of new records, playlists and now and then I'd relax with some commentary on some bizarreness in society. Once I wrote a big article about instagram profiles, like a half-sarcastic encyclopaedia, and at the end it was long like a giant seminar, that was my most important work. What was also cool was that I was going through accreditation for gigs, so I would occasionally crawl through some backstage and see how the whole thing worked from the "other side". Then I started writing for The-Mag, which was starting a new website at the time. There I wrote about basketball again, I had a bit of a basketball monopoly there for a while, so I could go as crazy as I wanted, writing about the NBA, sneakers, some musings, etc., also a great opportunity. Overall, I'm so grateful for the experience because it got me into that cultural world that I've always followed online and from afar. I've met some cool people through it and maybe even gotten to be around individuals I admired many times. There was only one thing I failed at, and that was learning to express myself succinctly, but everyone probably noticed that after the first question...
Are you currently active in editorial work or have you taken a break for a while?
I've taken a bit of a, I would say, enforced break. The writing itself is fine, but the financial reward for it is weaker. Overall, I think it's kind of an under-appreciated activity because, as I've found in my lifetime, writing really isn't for everyone and you have to have some sense of word structure, soundness, readability, etc. Unless you're going to be writing for a top media company or agency, you're not going to make much money at all. I just got hit with the hammer of reality after college when I was looking for a job. For one thing, it reinforced to me that it's not exactly a well-financed job, and on top of that is the fact that they'll take you on with some kind of professional certification, which is a big deal for a field like journalism. I've sent out some offers for editorial positions, but it never worked out. Those few years of "amateur" writing just don't trump being proficient and trained for the field, of course there are exceptions, but it's just like everywhere. IT companies are also more likely to take someone who has a degree in IT, you know. Well, so I just reached for what I studied and where I could get a foothold and started working here in Olomouc. After The-Mag made some changes in the management and the concept of the magazine, the editorial team disbanded and that was the end of my career. I had recently arranged to write for another magazine, but I finally let it go due to time constraints. But I'd definitely like to get back to writing sometime, I'll look for something here and there. Writing emails at work and commenting on socials just isn't enough for me, so we'll see, I've also got some podcasts creeping in now, so space is really tight.
You started working with Telegraph less than a year ago, but you've been around for a while. Can you tell us which exhibition you were most interested in and why?
Now I'm pretty blown away that it's been almost a year, crazy. Hey I've seen a lot of those shows here and it's probably hard for me to say which one caught my attention the most. On the other hand, I always like to ask that question and none of the guests answer it and talk as neutrally as I am now, so I'll say probably LAZY 8 by those Danish artists. For me, it was probably the most distinctive show I've seen here in terms of the expressiveness, the colour and the imaginative nature of the works. At the same time, I enjoyed the element of some mystery, the supernatural with reference to the past. I like sci-fi stuff terribly, so in many ways it impressed me, and combined with the bold colors and actually the sculptures, it really impressed me. Also the fact that the artists were so... atypical. I remember there was a bunch of dudes running around on the verni looking like they came from a rap concert. One of them was wearing some Gucci or Balenciaga I think, and then I found out he was one of the artists, great.
The approach from our side came mainly because of your experience as an editor in cultural magazines. But the podcast is something else. Can you describe how the collaboration came about and how you took on the role?
That's kind of funny, too. The collaboration came about because Mira Macík, the curator of the Telegraph, wrote to me on Instagram to say that they were starting a new project and that they'd like to approach me about collaborating, given my background as an editor. I had no idea what it would be, I guessed it would be some articles etc., but realistically I had no idea. Anyway, the news came completely out of nowhere, but I just happened to be at the point where the writing was over and I figured I'd try to look around for something after the new year, because I was irritated that I wasn't doing anything. Well, I got the message a little while later, so I thought maybe something would come out of it. So then I was surprised that it would be a podcast, and I think others were a little surprised that I was "just writing" up until then. I've thought about it a lot because honestly, and I hope I'm not brutally discrediting myself now, I've always felt a hundred times stronger writing than talking. I've been talking very fast since I was a kid and I have to concentrate a lot to express myself clearly. But I took it as some kind of challenge that I would like to take on and push myself again. Well, since the Telegraph mainly wanted someone who would be the face of the podcast and enjoy it, I thought, okay I'm in. So I've got to get on with it... I think I've still got a lot to work on, I'm very strict with myself in all aspects and I can't stand it when I don't do something well, and here it's x times as much. On the other hand, some of the guests praised me afterwards - I hope not out of some obligation - but for example Katerina Janečková told me after the podcast over coffee that I'm good at it, so I don't know, maybe I'm good at it. That's for others to judge. I generally try to take the podcasts less seriously, to treat it as a kind of informal chat, rather than making myself look like Chester or Veselovsky.
The Telegraph's podcast is produced by a team of people behind the gallery and production. What goes into the preparation and what goes into the selection of guests?
The way the preparation works is that a guest and a date is chosen and I do the preparation. That means I do some research, get all the information I can and make notes from that. From those, I draw some questions and gradually work it out until I have a final list of questions in some logical thematic sequence. As I said before, this is completely new to me, so I make sure I do a lot of preparation, so I often create in my head some kind of outline and flow of what the interview should look like in a framework and what I should ask and how. Then the actual shooting is only a matter of about an hour, if I include the supporting activities just in collaboration with the other people on the team. In terms of guests, we've got some list of potential names that I'd like to have on the podcast that will be appearing in the Telegraph as part of a programme in the near future. We're trying to pick guests from a wide spectrum, whether it's lesser known and talented faces or conversely individuals who are already experienced in their field and maybe just not well known. Everyone should be interesting in some way.
You once said that the Olomouc environment is underrated and I totally agree with you.
Somehow I feel that way. So I wouldn't go into a comparison with Prague, that would be a very unfair comparison, because in Prague everything that is here is times ten. But overall I feel that Olomouc is a very underrated city if we take it in comparison to other big cities. Sometime in the past I heard that Olomouc is called "small Prague". I don't know what's true about that, but it has that effect on me. It has a great atmosphere, well-preserved period architecture, nice parks, lots of cafes, decent gastro, interesting businesses that are still developing and growing, and most importantly a relatively active art scene. I'm really desperate sometimes because I'm always going somewhere, be it openings, concerts, etc., and I don't have a single day when I can lie at home and do nothing. Of course, that was said with exaggeration, but when it comes down to it, I really have an event on my calendar for almost every day that I would like to attend. If I could choose a college purely by city, I would definitely choose Olomouc. I've spent 5 years in Hradec, I visit friends in Prague, Ostrava, Brno, and lately I've been going to Zlín a lot, and Olomouc for me has such a unique friendly atmosphere of a historic city. I've often heard some comments about Olomouc in the sense that it's some kind of Hanak metropolis and Moravia this and Moravia that. On the one hand I understand, people here are a bit stuck in the past. Maybe they take a picture of you on the tram on the way home from work, and then they post your picture without your permission in the Mullet Hunting group and comment on your appearance and find it really funny... But apart from these SPD kids, Olomouc is a great place to study or even live for a young person who likes to be in a nice environment, culture and somehow navigate through the art scene and doesn't want to drown in some big city. Only the pay and rent conditions here are not quite in balance, well, and now and then those people, but then you couldn't live anywhere, max on another planet, so there.
So you're active in the Olomouc and Zlín regions. How do you evaluate the art scene here?
First of all, I wouldn't want to put myself in the position of a qualitative evaluator, I would rather take it as I take it from the participant's point of view. Since I really like to attend events - from concerts to lectures to openings - I can definitely say for myself that the art scene is quite rich and active. Especially when it comes to organizing events. What I like about Olomouc is that you go to different events that usually have a common denominator, a certain group of people behind it, it has a base of regular visitors and it all blends together, which I think is good. That's the friendly atmosphere I was talking about. I've been visiting Zlín and the events around it relatively recently - since my friend Vojtech started studying photography there - and thanks to him I got to know the artistic underbelly, a lot of people and maybe even my girlfriend, just at one of those cool events. And what I have noticed in that time, from my observation and from the feedback of others, is that the events are growing in Zlín and its surroundings, as well as the various spaces where the events take place are reviving, and overall it's a sign that the art scene is expanding. For example, if I introduce the rap music, if we take these concerts as part of the art scene, I can objectively say that Olomouc is terrible in this respect, really. I've been to a lot of concerts all over the Czech Republic, but there is no rap base here, neither in terms of the artists themselves, nor in terms of the fans. Unfortunately, this kind of supports the preconceived idea of some kind of backwardness, it's just stuck somewhere in the past and hasn't caught on, so I'd rather go to a rap concert somewhere else. Everything else is fine.
Your interest is mainly in music, art and design. Do you have any favourites?
As far as music goes, specifically rap, I have a lot of favorites. I'm kind of stuck in this trap of wanting to listen to as much new stuff as possible so I can make a playlist at the end of the month. I really enjoy discovering something new, so I rarely stick to anything in particular. But if I have to name some stalwarts, from the Czech Republic definitely Hugo Toxxx and from abroad Yung Lean. These two are such artists for life for me, whose work I love as much as their personality and views on creation and maybe even the world itself. I've had the opportunity to talk to Toxxx in person a few times and he's a really incredibly interesting and intelligent person. I feel the same way about Yung Lean from a distance, he's a month older than me, so he's kind of a peer of mine that I float through life with through his songs from a distance. Then from the last couple of years I would name Jaden, Yeezus2020, Rohony and from Slovakia I like Dalyb, Duch, Rollsout and so on. In general I like either real, dirty, modern rap or stuff that has some depth, gives you chills and has something mysterious, unusual, maybe even mystical, or it just has original swag, juice and it's weird in some way. As I mentioned before, I live music a lot and I always like to listen to something that has a strong atmosphere. So, Lana Del Rey, too - from a different barrel altogether are soundtracks from games, which are terribly underrated, some ambient music, on the other hand also punk, techno, electronic music etc etc. I've been getting into more alternative genres lately too, because I'm a bit over-saturated with rap and like I said, I like discovering new stuff and I like going to gigs, so there's a million things. As far as art and design goes, I don't think I have any outright favorites. I would describe myself more as an active viewer and fan, I like to just soak up that stuff. Although I would like to single out my friends Vojta Vojkovsky and Andrea, his wife. They both form a band together called Space Love and work separately on their own projects. Aja does cool digital art as part of Recreation Wellness and Vojta is a 100% selfmade beatmaker and rapper. Then I could also mention Matouš Kaspar, who does great stuff and comes from near my home village and I'm a big fan of his. He was one of the first guests on the Telegraph podcast, by the way.
With which international artist/musician would you like to do a podcast?
I've already sketched those names here, but they're more just wishful thinking. With Toxxx I'd have the podcast for like 5hrs straight I'd say, and I don't think I'd totally dare to have foreign guests. I'd like to get some names on the podcast that touch on rap, at least remotely. Rap has been on a huge upswing in recent years and is encroaching on the artistic sphere a lot more than it used to. In general, a lot of young people are doing their own interesting projects these days that could definitely get spotlight, let people know about them. Often it's also linked to some performance art, digital art, etc., so there's definitely a lot of potential things to spotlight.
By Inka Ličková, Erika Kovačičová / Telegraph Gallery
TLGRPH video podcast: Ondřej Vicena / Matouš Kašpar / Jakub Sýkora / David Pešat / David Těšínský / Alexandra Karpuchina / Bára Alex Kašparová
