• ACTUALLY
• ABOUT PROJECT
• EXHIBITIONS
• LECTURES
• CONFERENCES
• GALLERIES
• QUESTIONARY
• MIRRORING
• ARMATURKA
• LINKS
• SPONZORS
• CONTACT

česky / english

Armaturka

Konečně spolu

Exhibition mapping the contemporary independent gallery scene in the Czech Republic after 1990.

Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem
Emil Filla Gallery in Ústí nad Labem
Armaturka Gallery in Ústí nad Labem
Lidé výtvarnému umění – výtvarné umění lidem, o. p. s. Ústí nad Labem 

on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 6 p.m.
at Emil Filla Gallery and Armaturka Gallery,
SCHIFR-AC building (premises of Severočeská armaturka), Jateční 1588/49, Ústí nad Labem.

An opening speech by curator Lenka Sýkorová.
Part of the opening will be performance by Kateřina Olivová. Music for the opening will be provided by The Nomis.

The exhibition runs until October 14, 2011.
Opening hours of the Emil Filla Gallery:
Tue – Fri 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Free admission every Wednesday.

    

Artists:

Matěj Al-Ali /CZ/, Peter Barényi /SK/, Jana Bernartová /CZ/, CZAKRA /CZ/, Aleš Čermák /CZ/, Veronika Daňhelová /CZ/, Noam Darom /IL/, Dávid Demjanovič /SK/, Daniela Deutelbaum /CZ/, Petr Dub /CZ/, Vojtěch Fröhlich /CZ/, Isabela Grosseová /CZ/, Pavel Havrda /CZ/, Helena Hladilová /CZ/, Martin Hrubý /CZ/, Matyáš Chochola /CZ/, Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson /IS/, Miroslav Kohút /SK/, Jiří Maha /CZ/, Vojtěch Marek /CZ/, Silvie Milková /CZ/, Jarmila Mitríková /SK/, Tomáš Moravec /CZ/, Filip Nerad /CZ/, Kateřina Olivová /CZ/, Yumiko Ono /J/, Luděk Prošek /CZ/, Alexander Puškin /CZ/, Michal Pustějovský /CZ/, Tereza Rullerová /CZ/, Adéla Sobotková /CZ/, Namsal Siedlecki /I, USA/, Adéla Svobodová /CZ/, Miloš Šejn /CZ/, Dagmar Šubrtová /CZ/, Viktor Takáč /CZ/, Jiří Thýn /CZ/, Martin Zet /CZ/

Author of Action Galleries Project: Lenka Sýkorová
Curators: Lenka Sýkorová, Viktor Čech, Markéta Kubačáková
Co-curators for Armaturka Gallery: Romana Veselá, Tereza Nováková

The exhibition „Konečně spolu“ (Together at Last), created for Emil Filla Gallery and Gallery Armaturka in Ústí nad Labem, is linked to subject of previous exhibitions at Altán Klamovka Gallery in Prague or to lectures on Czech contemporary independent gallery scene connected with Action gallery project. Present exhibition “Konečně spolu” introduces artists who, as part of their creative work, produce also exhibition spaces. By doing this they take an active part in contemporary visual scene. The choice of exhibiting artists was thus influenced by the fact, whether they are at the same time active as curators. Open space of Emil Filla Gallery has been divided into several sections and the gallery representatives, being the exhibiting artists themselves, were allowed to complete their sections, with respect to their curatorial aims, with presentation of two other artists. The exhibiting artists were introduces one year in advance and remained in touch mainly during the exhibition preparation in a form of workshop that was held one week before exhibition opening. The name of the exhibition comes from a Czech phrase “together, at last” and should be taken as a hyperbole. Active young artists-curators, outside the scope of this exhibition, are competing with each other. The mere placing of the exhibition, showing the young artists in an established gallery space of Emil Filla Gallery, adds to the irony of the title. For many artists exhibiting in such an “established” gallery forms a sort of artistic aim. The exhibition “Konečně spolu” presents actual response of the artists on the theme of participation, site-specific art and activism within the frame of gallery scene, both in our country and abroad. The exhibition is accompanied by a documentary part of Action Galleries Project situated in Armaturka Gallery. Catalogue to accompany the exhibition will be printed till the end of 2011. 

The Action Galleries Project was initially based on interaction with artists-curators from 15 Czech independent galleries. These artists were sent a questionnaire in summer 2008. Altogether 9 filled out questionnaires came back, these formed, together with basic facts about the project, part of an exhibition at Altán Klamovka Gallery in September 2008, than in April 2010 in Ilona Németh’s atelier at Intermedia and Multimedia department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design and at Exhibition space Grösslingova 49 Gallery in Bratislava. Simultaneously was held the exhibition of artists-curators at Altán Klamovka Gallery and lectures about the project in Brno, Ústí nad Labem and Bratislava. Number of galleries on the website actiongalleries.info is gradually increasing. Remarks upon the fact that part of galleries involved are financially supported by grants, which do not comply with original concept of independence, should be seen in the perspective of research where the non-profit nature of the project is what matters. Non-profit area is interlinked with civic associations or actual people connected with grant politics, which itself doesn’t interfere with gallery projects providing them only with financial support. I am seeking, as a matter of priority, for the phenomenon of cultural enthusiasm. Many artists-curators are engaged voluntaries in the field of contemporary visual art trend promotion. The independent gallery structure in our country at the same time often stands for established galleries and forms thus substantial platform for progressive visual art. Further interest of our research forms the site-specific art. Many projects are significant because of their intention that relies since the beginning on transitive nature of art works in space primarily non-designated for exhibiting. Other new phenomenon presents the concept of “non-stop” galleries that are founded in old show-cases or window-cases. These galleries reduce production costs connected with gallery custodians, attack the public space and help to promote contemporary art in unconventional context. They could be labeled with a new term “street-art” galleries, first used by curatorial team of “UKG – ukradená galerie” (UKG – The Stolen Gallery). 

Lenka Sýkorová

Supported by:

The exhibition forms a part of Lenka Sýkorová´s thesis “Artists as Curators. Czech Independent Gallery Scene since 1990” within the postgraduate studies of Visual Communication at the Faculty of Art and Design of Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem.

Realisation of Lenka Sýkorová´s thesis is supported by a Student Grant provided by Internal Grant Agency of Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem and Grant to support the publishing activities of Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem.

Konečně spolu exhibition gained support from Development Project of Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic Strengthening of Regional Position of Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in the field of cooperation with exhibition institutions of Ústí nad Labem region whose investigator is Jan Evenagelista Purkyně University.

For more information concerning the exhibition see www.gef.cz 

Media partners: Artalk, Art Map, Flash Art, Radio 1.

Collaboration:

Jiří Toman - graphic design of exhibition catalog

Antonín Jirát - documentary video from workshop

Romana Veselá a Tereza Nováková - exhibition production, expecially independent space Armaturka