Galerie Rudolfinum and UNPLUGGED invite us to think
environmentally
UNPLUGGED13 August – 29 November 2020
Galerie Rudolfinum
Exhibition curator: David Korecký
(Prague, 1 August 2020) Like music performers playing unplugged,
i.e. exclusively on acoustic musical instruments instead of
electric ones, ten artists from Austria, Belgium, the Czech
Republic and Slovakia created site-specific projects for Galerie
Rudolfinum with minimal use of energy for production and transport
and with an emphasis on handicrafts. The gallery invited artists to
explore "environmental thinking" as the theme of the UNPLUGGED
exhibition. Artists were given a free use of a part of the gallery
space for three months and some works have been on the site. Other
artworks - in the spirit of the exhibition - came to the gallery
from the studio, for example on a horse-drawn carriage or a special
handcart; a set of works from Antwerp, Belgium, has been brought by
a cyclist on a bicycle. The exhibition uses only daylight for
lighting, which is why its opening takes place on August 12 from 4
pm until nightfall in the Rudolfinum courtyard and in the area in
front of the gallery. You can visit the UNPLUGGED exhibition in the
Galerie Rudolfinum from 13 August until 29 November 2020; admission
is free courtesy to our partner Avast Foundation.
"The term environmental thinking is not a scientific discipline
such as ecology, but rather a set of questions that cannot be
answered unambiguously, but which are essential to remember in
everyday activities. It is an attitude which asks questions about
the relationship and balance between natural and artificial
(cultural) entities. It can be seen as holistic thinking, a
heightened sensitivity to the world around us, of which we are a
part and which we create," explains curator David Korecký the theme
of the exhibition, adding for emphasis: "That is why environmental
thinking, rather than the climate crisis or identity crisis of the
Western civilization, has been chosen as the theme of the
exhibition, although these topics are very closely related."
With the UNPLUGGED exhibition, Galerie Rudolfinum wants to
highlight the qualities that we tend to overlook due to the ease of
use of machines and automated production. The exhibition places
emphasis on daylight and physical experience when encountering art;
it wants the audience to leave its comfort zone. The exhibition
sets out to limit the resources spent on the production of
artificial materials and their transportation, all while
maintaining the professionalism of institutional representation.
Each of the exhibiting artists responded to the challenge
differently, so the exhibition offers a diversity of forms of art
and approaches.
The UNPLUGGED exhibition presents monographs by the American
artist John Cage - drawings from his cycle Ryoanji (1983-85),
including a part of the musical score of the eponymous composition,
which he wrote to go with the drawings. Visitors will be able to
enjoy the track at the exhibition on several occassions, played by
Petr Wajsar, an expert on Cage's musical work, and performed by
members of the Czech Philharmonic. Czech artist Habima Fuchs
contributes to the theme of environmental thinking with her ceramic
objects, such as the series Hanging Cities, from an Ancient
Civilisation (2015) or one hundred and eight ceramic glazed bowls
poignantly titled 108. The Belgian artist Rinus van de Velde
responded to the challenge by creating a series of new drawings,
which, in the spirit of the exhibition, were transported from
Antwerp to Prague by bicycle by his friend, a passionate
cyclist.
The artistic duo unconductive trash (Michal Pěchouček and Rudi
Koval) created a complex painting installation Burning Daylight,
that includes “the colour tone” of the daylight penetrating into
the exhibition room through the ceiling. As theatrical journey and
an imaginary intergenerational dialogue, the visitor walks through
an installation called Inheritance by the Slovak artist Tomáš
Džadoň, who redrew the drawings of Fero Jablonovský (*1956).
The abstract painting Overview by Czech artist Patricie Fexová
was created directly on the site and refers to the emotion first
described by astronauts looking at the Earth from a distance –
similar empathy, sense of belonging and the urge to care based on
the experience of fragility of something beyond us. The Czech
artist Tomáš Moravec responded to the theme of the exhibition with
a composed sculptural installation Manuport with an element of
performance. Its centrepiece is a one and a half ton stone,
transported to the gallery from the artist's studio on a
horse-drawn carriage.
The Austrian conceptual duo of sculptors Nicole Six & Paul
Petritsch works in their project Lascaux - Parallel Worlds with the
social aspect of the gallery building with all its staff visitors,
and raises issues of connection and disconnection from systems,
rules and social conventions. The exhibition concludes with a
painting and sculpture intervention by the Czech artist Lenka
Vítková called When, in which the author reflected on the original
purpose and space of the Galerie Rudolfinum and the theme of the
classical hanging painting. The exhibition includes an essay by the
Czech writer, philosopher and translator Ladislav Šerý.
Galerie Rudolfinum tried to observe the concept of the
exhibition not only in transport, but also by reducing the volume
of air conditioning, hand-making the exhibition catalogue and
posters for the exhibition, hand-sewing banners from tent fabric,
hiring a mountain climber to hang them on the building instead of
using a motorized platform, as well as commissioning a sign writer
to do inscriptions. The exhibition uses only daylight for
lighting.
CATALOGUE
A limited edition of the hand-made catalogue has been produced
for the UNPLUGGED exhibition, which complements the Guide to the
Exhibition with a text by the curator David Korecký and includes an
overview of the exhibiting artists and their works. The Catalogue
and the Exhibition Guide were designed by graphic designers Petr
Bosák, Robert Jansa (20YY Designers).
ARTPARK – Get Unplugged and Switch onArtpark, too, is getting
ready for the UNPLUGGED exhibition. Through interactive
entertainment, visitors will be invited to ask the same questions
as those raised by the main exhibition: How much energy (and not
just electric power) we really need to live? What will change in
the way we see the world if we slow down and focus on the seemingly
small things? Is today’s fast and technology-driven world causing
us to miss something important?
ARTPARK, which changes face with each new exhibition, aims to
show the work of exhibiting artists to the youngest visitors in an
interactive way. Associated programming and special events for
schools and the public and regular workshops for kids are also
available. At the same time, ARTPARK remains a place of creative
relaxation for visitors to the Galerie Rudolfinum. The concept of
Artpark was designed by Zdenka Švadlenková, head of Education and
Public Events at Galerie Rudolfinum.
For details of our associated programme content, follow Galerie
Rudolfinum website and social networks.
Admission to the exhibition is free thanks to the Avast
Foundation, a partner of Galerie Rudolfinum.
Photo caption: The artistic duo unconductive trash (Michal
Pěchouček and Rudi Koval) installing their art at the UNPLUGGED
exhibiton. © Galerie Rudolfinum
To keep up with our news, follow Galerie Rudolfinum at:
[email protected]
@artpark.rudolfinum
Gallery partner
Avast Foundation
Media partners
RESPEKT, Forbes, Radio 1
Contact for the media
Maja Ošťádalová, Head of PR and Marketing, +420 602 44 10
10, [email protected]
UNPLUGGED (13 August – 29 November 2020) – views into the
exhibition installation
Habima Fuchs installing her series Hanging Cities (From an
Ancient Covilization, completed in 2015, in the UNPLUGGED
exhibition. © Galerie Rudolfinum
Lenka Vítková installing one part of her intervention When in
the UNPLUGGED exhibition. © Galerie Rudolfinum
