Kunsthalle Praha (Prague, Czech Republic) opens its doors to the public, offering a brand-new space on Prague’s cultural map.
The major new not-for-profit organization, non-governmental institution, is dedicated to bringing new perspectives on Czech and Central European art of the 20th and 21st centuries, and to creating an open, interdisciplinary space for the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
The exhibition programme will see up to eight exhibitions each year, with a focus on contemporary and modern art. The inaugural exhibition Kinetismus: 100 Years of Electricity in Art, is on view through June 20, 2022.
Kunsthalle Praha opens its doors today, February 22, 2022, offering an exciting addition to Prague’s thriving culture scene. Its dynamic programme of short-term exhibitions strives to bring modern and contemporary Czech and Central European art to a wide audience, connecting it to its international counterparts, whilst offering innovative educational activities.
Directed by Ivana Goossen and established by the Pudil Family Foundation, Kunsthalle Praha is located in the former Zenger Transformer Station and is the first space dedicated to art to be built in the city centre in almost 100 years. Designed by Czech architecture studio Schindler Seko and spanning 5,700 sq. metres, the space includes three large galleries, a design shop, a bistro, and a café with a terrace that features views of Petřín Hill and Prague Castle.
The opening exhibition titled Kinetismus: 100 Years of Electricity in Art celebrates the original function of the building and explores how electricity has transformed artistic practice from the start of the 20th century to the present day. Guest-curated and conceived by the Austrian post-conceptual artist and curator Peter Weibel and co-curated by the Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Praha Christelle Havranek, the show will include over ninety artworks by artists such as Refik Anadol, Marcel Duchamp, Olafur Eliasson, Shilpa Gupta, Ryoji Ikeda, William Kentridge, László Moholy-Nagy, Man Ray and teamLab.
Kunsthalle Praha will also pay tribute to the building’s rich industrial past in a second show titled The Zenger Transformer Station: Electricity in the City, Electricity in Architecture, which explores the role electricity and modern technology have played in the development of the building as well as Prague’s history more generally.
The space houses one permanent site-specific installation titled Cabinet of Electrical Curiosities by conceptual artist Mark Dion. As an archaeologist of the present, the artist assembled the cabinet out of objects and artefacts collected on site during Kunsthalle Praha’s construction.
In order to take full advantage of everything the Kunsthalle Praha has to offer, the Kunsthalle Praha Membership is currently on offer for the public, and will allow visitors exclusive access to exhibitions, which will include unlimited entry (over 12 months), preview access, guided tours and a 10% discount in the Kunsthalle Design shop.
