Architect Dedeček – opening in SNG
On Friday, October 4, 2024, an exhibition dedicated to the work of one of the most significant Slovak architects of the second half of the 20th century was opened at the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava. The exhibition about Vladimír Dedeček, who bequeathed his entire estate to the SNG, is divided into sections occupying the entire 3rd and 4th floors of the iconic bridge, which is Dedeček's masterpiece (realized between 1962-77).
Although each part of the exhibition was curated by a different curator, both exhibitions are interdependent and inspire each other. On the highest fourth floor is a retrospective exhibition Vladimír Dedeček – Past and Present, curated by external SNG curator Monika Mitášová, based on a comprehensive monograph published seven years ago together with theorist Marian Zervan and Austrian photographer Hertha Hurnaus. The entire third floor is occupied by the exhibition Vladimír Dedeček and SNG: A Story from the Future, which involved the dismissed director of SNG, Alexandra Kusá, who was also the main driving force behind the gallery's reconstruction. The team of external curators included Kateřina Koňata Dolejšová, who worked on the graphic design, and Jana Hrušovská Durajová, who filmed a documentary. Information from Dedeček's life is printed directly on the walls of the gallery, so the exhibition is closely connected to the building. The most powerful experience comes from the building itself, in which the exhibition takes place. The curators solved the dilemma of how to exhibit architecture in the most direct way possible.
Six large wooden models in a scale of 1:10 are noteworthy, painted white to emphasize the plasticity of Dedeček's designs, along with ten (9 realized and 1 unrealized design) folding plastic models in a scale of 1:150 to 1:300, on which visitors can practice assembling structures according to the instructions. All these models were designed in the studio n/a by Benjamín Brádňanský and Vít Halada, and are not merely reductions but stem from the essence of Dedeček's method of shaping space (“I am not an artist. I am a carpenter in the age of concrete.”) The exhibitions are concentrated into clusters similar to the sculptural garden that used to be in the gallery's ground floor beneath the bridge. Parallel to the exhibition, 2-3 film screenings will be held in the SNG cinema each month, accompanying the curator-led tours.
Dedeček's bridge at the SNG also symbolizes the shift of historic Bratislava from the 19th century into modern times. While Dedeček lived in the Old Town, he was a visionary in his approach. He introduced new themes, despite working in a challenging time under an unfree regime. Karol Vaculík, the then director of the SNG and main mover of the bold project on the banks of the Danube, was ultimately not even invited to the ceremonial opening of the building. Without the need for a roundabout historical parallel, Alexandra Kusá also found herself faced with the reality that she had been dismissed from the position of SNG director several months before the exhibition opening.
Despite the entire team contemplating whether to withdraw from the project altogether, Alexandra Kusá considered organizing the Dedeček exhibition in the reconstructed gallery a pleasant professional obligation that she wanted to fulfill as soon as possible after the long renovation, for which the BKPŠ studio received the main award CE ZA AR 2023 in the category of Architecture Phenomena last year. The reconstruction also received a nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Prize 2024. These prestigious awards are evidence of the excellent work not only of the BKPŠ studio but of the entire SNG team. Both exhibitions dedicated to Vladimír Dedeček can be viewed at the Bratislava SNG until the beginning of February next year.
PŠ, 10.2024
Bratislava (4.10.2024) - The Slovak National Gallery will open a dual exhibition focused on the work of architect Vladimír Dedeček (1929 – 2020), the creator of innovative projects and nearly a hundred realizations, who is a prominent co-author of the architectural appearance of modern Slovakia, not least the author of the SNG's appearance and the idea of the iconic Bridge. The exhibition Architect Dedeček is located directly in the Bridge and will last until February 2, 2025.
The first part, a retrospective exhibition Vladimír Dedeček – Past and Present by external curator Monika Mitášová, will present biographical data, selected projects, and models of buildings. It can also be viewed as a continuation of the discussion about the author's architectural thinking, work, and its interpretation, which Monika Mitášová, along with co-authors, started in her book about Vladimír Dedeček in 2017. The motto of this part of the exhibition is Dedeček's words: “I am a carpenter in the age of concrete.” The ways in which this “carpenter in the age of concrete” thought and worked are embodied in the models and presented through video documentaries of the buildings. There are two types of models on display: large wooden fragments of selected buildings (in a scale of 1:10) and small plastic puzzles of entire buildings. The concept of these models was developed by the exhibition's architects Benjamín Brádňanský and Vít Halada with collaborators (studio N/A). Visitors can try to assemble the small puzzle models – this is the participatory or interactive dimension of the exhibition. Video documentaries directed by Jana Hrušovská Durajová portray Dedeček's buildings in the present day as well as in available archival television footage from the time they were being built or ceremoniously opened to the public. Selected data for the works can also be viewed by the audience through codes in the Atlas SNG application.
The second part titled Vladimír Dedeček and SNG: A Story from the Future, conceived by Alexandra Kusá, dedicated to the grounds of the Slovak National Gallery, combines architecture exhibition with institutional "archaeology." Only existing materials used in previous SNG exhibitions are utilized for the installation. It will provide an opportunity to learn what information about the construction of SNG has been historically transmitted and what the reality is, clarifying the construction of the institution and its headquarters as part of the modernization process, as well as the transformation of Bratislava into a young metropolis.
“I have always regarded the exhibition dedicated to Vladimír Dedeček's work as literally a professional obligation of the gallery, or rather a pleasant professional obligation. We planned to present it as soon as possible after the renovation and precisely in the Bridge, because that is how it should be. I was looking forward to the title, the place, and the co-curator. It turned out differently and very personally. I must say that this was the most challenging exhibition I have ever done – the connection between the theme and the current situation felt almost fateful, as did the fates of each of the protagonists, which felt suspiciously familiar. On one side, therapy with Dedeček and on the other side, the need to detach and convey all the work, effort, but also the hope and positive outcome as best as possible. This might not succeed, but I am very glad that I completed the exhibition with significant support and help from my colleagues. Whether it was successful, we'll see. It was worth it for me to at least try,” states SNG curator Alexandra Kusá.
The construction of the national gallery was controversial – not only at the time of its creation. Behind the strong architectural concept stood not only the architect but also the demands of the client – art historian Karol Vaculík. How was the idea of expanding the SNG promoted, in what political and social context did its protagonists have to operate? Who competed with which projects, and how did the winning project develop? Why was the Bridge ultimately realized, and why did it struggle for so long to gain acceptance? What did the project mean for the gallery, and what for its architect? The exhibition will offer a glimpse into the “kitchen” during the SNG reconstruction process and reveal this challenging process to the audience.
The SNG has prepared a supporting program in the form of screenings of documentary films from the ICONS series; the full program can be found at www.sng.sk
Film accompanying program of the exhibition Architect Dedeček
October 20, 2024 – February 2, 2025
SNG cinema, Riečna 1, Bratislava
Architect Dedeček
Exhibition duration: October 5, 2024 – February 2, 2025
Curators:
Alexandra Kusá (Hall X, 3rd floor)
Monika Mitášová (Hall XI, 4th floor)
Collaboration:
Jana Hrušovská Durajová (– direction of video documentaries of exhibitions I and II)
Benjamín Brádňanský, Vít Halada (studio N/A) (– architecture of the exhibition and concept of models I)
Kateřina Koňata Dolejšová (– graphic design of exhibition I)
Braňo Matis (– graphic design of exhibition and catalog II)
Although each part of the exhibition was curated by a different curator, both exhibitions are interdependent and inspire each other. On the highest fourth floor is a retrospective exhibition Vladimír Dedeček – Past and Present, curated by external SNG curator Monika Mitášová, based on a comprehensive monograph published seven years ago together with theorist Marian Zervan and Austrian photographer Hertha Hurnaus. The entire third floor is occupied by the exhibition Vladimír Dedeček and SNG: A Story from the Future, which involved the dismissed director of SNG, Alexandra Kusá, who was also the main driving force behind the gallery's reconstruction. The team of external curators included Kateřina Koňata Dolejšová, who worked on the graphic design, and Jana Hrušovská Durajová, who filmed a documentary. Information from Dedeček's life is printed directly on the walls of the gallery, so the exhibition is closely connected to the building. The most powerful experience comes from the building itself, in which the exhibition takes place. The curators solved the dilemma of how to exhibit architecture in the most direct way possible.
Six large wooden models in a scale of 1:10 are noteworthy, painted white to emphasize the plasticity of Dedeček's designs, along with ten (9 realized and 1 unrealized design) folding plastic models in a scale of 1:150 to 1:300, on which visitors can practice assembling structures according to the instructions. All these models were designed in the studio n/a by Benjamín Brádňanský and Vít Halada, and are not merely reductions but stem from the essence of Dedeček's method of shaping space (“I am not an artist. I am a carpenter in the age of concrete.”) The exhibitions are concentrated into clusters similar to the sculptural garden that used to be in the gallery's ground floor beneath the bridge. Parallel to the exhibition, 2-3 film screenings will be held in the SNG cinema each month, accompanying the curator-led tours.
Dedeček's bridge at the SNG also symbolizes the shift of historic Bratislava from the 19th century into modern times. While Dedeček lived in the Old Town, he was a visionary in his approach. He introduced new themes, despite working in a challenging time under an unfree regime. Karol Vaculík, the then director of the SNG and main mover of the bold project on the banks of the Danube, was ultimately not even invited to the ceremonial opening of the building. Without the need for a roundabout historical parallel, Alexandra Kusá also found herself faced with the reality that she had been dismissed from the position of SNG director several months before the exhibition opening.
Despite the entire team contemplating whether to withdraw from the project altogether, Alexandra Kusá considered organizing the Dedeček exhibition in the reconstructed gallery a pleasant professional obligation that she wanted to fulfill as soon as possible after the long renovation, for which the BKPŠ studio received the main award CE ZA AR 2023 in the category of Architecture Phenomena last year. The reconstruction also received a nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Prize 2024. These prestigious awards are evidence of the excellent work not only of the BKPŠ studio but of the entire SNG team. Both exhibitions dedicated to Vladimír Dedeček can be viewed at the Bratislava SNG until the beginning of February next year.
PŠ, 10.2024
Bratislava (4.10.2024) - The Slovak National Gallery will open a dual exhibition focused on the work of architect Vladimír Dedeček (1929 – 2020), the creator of innovative projects and nearly a hundred realizations, who is a prominent co-author of the architectural appearance of modern Slovakia, not least the author of the SNG's appearance and the idea of the iconic Bridge. The exhibition Architect Dedeček is located directly in the Bridge and will last until February 2, 2025.
The first part, a retrospective exhibition Vladimír Dedeček – Past and Present by external curator Monika Mitášová, will present biographical data, selected projects, and models of buildings. It can also be viewed as a continuation of the discussion about the author's architectural thinking, work, and its interpretation, which Monika Mitášová, along with co-authors, started in her book about Vladimír Dedeček in 2017. The motto of this part of the exhibition is Dedeček's words: “I am a carpenter in the age of concrete.” The ways in which this “carpenter in the age of concrete” thought and worked are embodied in the models and presented through video documentaries of the buildings. There are two types of models on display: large wooden fragments of selected buildings (in a scale of 1:10) and small plastic puzzles of entire buildings. The concept of these models was developed by the exhibition's architects Benjamín Brádňanský and Vít Halada with collaborators (studio N/A). Visitors can try to assemble the small puzzle models – this is the participatory or interactive dimension of the exhibition. Video documentaries directed by Jana Hrušovská Durajová portray Dedeček's buildings in the present day as well as in available archival television footage from the time they were being built or ceremoniously opened to the public. Selected data for the works can also be viewed by the audience through codes in the Atlas SNG application.
The second part titled Vladimír Dedeček and SNG: A Story from the Future, conceived by Alexandra Kusá, dedicated to the grounds of the Slovak National Gallery, combines architecture exhibition with institutional "archaeology." Only existing materials used in previous SNG exhibitions are utilized for the installation. It will provide an opportunity to learn what information about the construction of SNG has been historically transmitted and what the reality is, clarifying the construction of the institution and its headquarters as part of the modernization process, as well as the transformation of Bratislava into a young metropolis.
“I have always regarded the exhibition dedicated to Vladimír Dedeček's work as literally a professional obligation of the gallery, or rather a pleasant professional obligation. We planned to present it as soon as possible after the renovation and precisely in the Bridge, because that is how it should be. I was looking forward to the title, the place, and the co-curator. It turned out differently and very personally. I must say that this was the most challenging exhibition I have ever done – the connection between the theme and the current situation felt almost fateful, as did the fates of each of the protagonists, which felt suspiciously familiar. On one side, therapy with Dedeček and on the other side, the need to detach and convey all the work, effort, but also the hope and positive outcome as best as possible. This might not succeed, but I am very glad that I completed the exhibition with significant support and help from my colleagues. Whether it was successful, we'll see. It was worth it for me to at least try,” states SNG curator Alexandra Kusá.
The construction of the national gallery was controversial – not only at the time of its creation. Behind the strong architectural concept stood not only the architect but also the demands of the client – art historian Karol Vaculík. How was the idea of expanding the SNG promoted, in what political and social context did its protagonists have to operate? Who competed with which projects, and how did the winning project develop? Why was the Bridge ultimately realized, and why did it struggle for so long to gain acceptance? What did the project mean for the gallery, and what for its architect? The exhibition will offer a glimpse into the “kitchen” during the SNG reconstruction process and reveal this challenging process to the audience.
The SNG has prepared a supporting program in the form of screenings of documentary films from the ICONS series; the full program can be found at www.sng.sk
Film accompanying program of the exhibition Architect Dedeček
October 20, 2024 – February 2, 2025
SNG cinema, Riečna 1, Bratislava
Architect Dedeček
Exhibition duration: October 5, 2024 – February 2, 2025
Curators:
Alexandra Kusá (Hall X, 3rd floor)
Monika Mitášová (Hall XI, 4th floor)
Collaboration:
Jana Hrušovská Durajová (– direction of video documentaries of exhibitions I and II)
Benjamín Brádňanský, Vít Halada (studio N/A) (– architecture of the exhibition and concept of models I)
Kateřina Koňata Dolejšová (– graphic design of exhibition I)
Braňo Matis (– graphic design of exhibition and catalog II)
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