Twenty after Twenty CZ - SK
Like other prominent anniversaries, the approach of the 20th anniversary of 17 November 1989 presented itself as an excellent opportunity for retrospection. It was these twenty years that have passed since the Velvet Revolution that were one of the impulses for this Czechoslovak exhibition (Jaroslav Fragner Gallery Prague, November 17th 2009 - January 10th 2010).
The exhibition is held under the auspices of Václav Riedlbauch, Czech Minister of Culture, and Marek Maďarič, Slovak Minister of Culture.
Like other prominent anniversaries, the approach of the 20th anniversary of 17 November 1989 presented itself as an excellent opportunity for retrospection. It was these twenty years that have passed since the Velvet Revolution that were one of the impulses for this Czechoslovak exhibition. It was our desire to create a platform for a friendly meeting between 40 architects and studios from the former Czechoslovakia.
These collective shows typically present real and serious architecture, and therefore our curators agreed on the subject of “serious – frivolous,” architecture for our animal companions. This is real architecture, a conceptual approach, play; things we can find in actual buildings or that which is characteristic in the professional creation of selected architects.
This federative line-up is made up of stars, celebrated architects, as well as up-and-coming professionals. Some are already established, some have already been in the limelight for a certain amount of time, some have presented their work on the international stage, and still others are stars of the future. This is precisely what makes this selection interesting: it isn’t based on merit, but on creativity and potential for architectural communication.
The structures are a response to the question of how these generations approach an almost Dadaistic assignment: specifically, just how interesting it is, what angle it should be approached from, how to materialize the idea of the assignment and how the resulting project falls into the overall figure of the exhibition.
The project launched on the eve of 17 November is reprised in mid-January of 2010 at the Design Factory in Bratislava – the organizer on the Slovak side of the show. This joint exhibition was a continuation of GJF and DF multi-year cooperation aimed at introducing contemporary Czech and Slovak architecture.
The exhibition, which is conducted in a freer spirit, has been accompanied by a catalogue in which each studio is introduced by three selected projects. The completed works, projects, visions and dreams presented on the pages of the catalogue offer insight into what the selected architects are striving for in their work.