Gallery in Pardubice will revitalize the history of pavilion CECOSLOVACCHIA from Venice

Pardubice – The Gallery of the City of Pardubice (GAMPA) will transform into the pavilion CECOSLOVACCHIA starting Saturday. It will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Czechoslovak pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The century-old building designed by architect Otakar Novotný has been closed since 2019 due to a fallen tree. This was stated by director Vojtěch Novák.

The Venice Biennale has been held since 1895. The Czech and Slovak pavilion was built according to Otakar Novotný's design in 1925 and opened a year later. National pavilions are located in the Giardini park. Among the first were the Italian, Belgian, English, German, and Russian pavilions. Novák hopes that the pavilion will be reopened next year.

Parts of the pavilion were created in the Pardubice gallery, where artists created an entrance that is a copy of the one in Venice. "The pavilion is important and well-known for artists, but it may not be for the wider public. That is why we prepared an exhibition to bring it closer to the Czech audience. We can step inside it here. The pavilion is shared by two nations, representing both cultures," said Novák.

The sound accompaniment for the exhibition was created by Vojtěch Fröhlich, who entered the closed pavilion illegally in 2022. The pavilion has a glass roof that was broken by a tree. He rappelled inside from the roof and documented his action. He often breaks through physical barriers as a form of artistic gesture.

"I caught the moment when about 60 people from the Academy of Fine Arts were there. I opened the doors for them. That then triggered a sharper reaction from the local police, and I was glad I made it to the vaporetto (the public transport system in Venice)," Fröhlich said. His aim was to push for the renovation of the pavilion.

Inside the gallery is also a fallen tree that was broken by a storm in the Červeňák park. It will be part of the installation. The space of the Pardubice gallery has also been filled with costumes by Eva Koťáková, who was the only one allowed to exhibit her work "giraffe" in the closed pavilion in Venice in 2024. Her objects will be followed by an educational program for the public and summer camps for children. These will also have their own editorial team and will create a magazine called Krunýř, which the author conceived. The gallery is also planning performances in collaboration with Divadlo 29 for the space.