Gas station at Slaný
address: Benzínka u Slaného 16, 35 km od Prahy
curator: Ondřej Horák a Monika Sybolová
e-mail: fuszik@seznam.cz
www: http://benzinka.ooz.hu
opening hours: nonstop
gallery opened: 01.06.2006
gallery closed: 01.05.2010
city: not far from Slaný
address: Gas station at Slaný, road 16, 35 km from Prague
Benzínka (Gas station) gallery had a rather specific location – in an abandoned gas station near Slaný on road 16, behind the ancient barracks about 35 km from Prague. The deserted concrete skeleton of the gas station remains opened at all times and is thus subject to natural disintegration. Thanks to its deterioration it lacks the natural delimitation between the interior and exterior space which makes it an ideal space for artists who like to create art without any limits or use alternative spaces. The gas station doesn’t have character of a gallery it’s rather a challenge for unusual artists’ dream to become true. Since March 2007 one-day exhibitions were organized here: performances, installations, objects, environments, etc. The contemporary visual art representations enliven the building and surroundings of the old gas station with their mere existence, and thus keep it artificially alive. Once created artworks remain at the site, pile up in layers and are predetermined to disintegration. Owing to the position of the object are the exhibited works represented in a rather specific autonomic zone between the city and the countryside, right on the road. It depends on each driver whether he slows down or stops and let himself involved.
Artists:
Darina Alsterová, Alexey Klyuykov, Pash, P. Sterec, Marek Meduna, Luděk Rathouský, Martin Zet, Pavla Sceranková, Matyáš Chochola, Dušan Záhoranský, Eva Jiřička, Ondřej and Jaroslav Malečkovi and others.
The gallery was abandoned in spring 2010 because the exhibition space, as a subject matter, was felt to be exhausted. The organizers of the gallery were accused by the owned for contaminating the place. The gallery website is at the moment out of service.