To the exhibition of Josef Pleskot at Museum Kampa

On the occasion of the architect Josef Pleskot's round anniversary, the Kampa Museum in Malá Strana organized a comprehensive exhibition spread over two floors of the Sovovy mlýny, focusing on the trio of cities where Pleskot's studio has left a significant mark over the past three decades.

Pleskot had a lucky hand in his career with close collaborators and enlightened investors (whether from public administration or private companies) sharing similar values. He helped them fulfill their bold visions. However, a successful outcome required symbiosis, not just between these two main drivers. Clients often return to Pleskot's studio and approach him with further tasks. The wide circle of clients included pre-November dissident Václav Havel and post-revolution privatization winner Petr Kellner, a Roman Catholic parish, a Dominican province, historical cities, and industrialist Jan Světlík.

The first floor, dominated by a ten-meter model of the former steelworks area, is dedicated to the unique revitalization of the post-industrial district of Lower Vítkovice, where a sought-after cultural and social complex with an unmistakable atmosphere was created under the auspices of entrepreneur and patron Jan Světlík. The second half of the first floor, centered around a large round table with numerous publications, presents the fruitful collaboration of AP Atelier with the first post-revolution mayor of Litomyšl, Miroslav Brýdl. The enlightened city council continues to carry on Brýdl's legacy and places a strong emphasis on the architectural quality of public contracts. With great understanding from heritage conservationists, contemporary architecture can thus arise in close proximity to Renaissance and Baroque buildings protected by UNESCO, fulfilling current needs and capturing the present time.

Upon entering the second floor, which is entirely dedicated to Prague projects, visitors are captivated by a magnified image of the Panorama of Prague by Carlo Thieme from the mid-19th century, where the urban structure idyllically resonates with the surrounding nature, yet the city stands on the brink of dramatic changes that can be likened to today's historical turning point.

The exhibition is not only focused on large urban complexes but also on small "acupuncture interventions" that can significantly transform shared spaces. These do not necessarily have to be construction interventions, but often involve landscaping elements or merely protecting remnants of the original nature, as evidenced by the rescue project of Parukářka or even better the revitalization of the banks of the Loučná stream in Litomyšl, where city investments did not go into insulation or colorful revitalization of the façades of panel houses, but into public spaces around them to entice people out of their homes. A similarly unique idea, where nature plays a primary role, was developed at Prague Castle, where after Václav Havel took office as president, a new northern path was found along the slopes of Jelení příkop and through the tunnel under the Powder Bridge. The landscape intervention was primarily driven by the effort to democratically open up long-closed places.

The theme of connecting and sensitively integrating a new object with its surroundings using minimal resources can also be found in the challenging task of the CSOB bank headquarters in Prague's Radlice. Pleskot, who strategically avoided building "temples of money" filled with luxury and a high degree of tastelessness in the 1990s, eventually answered Ivo Koukol's call to connect the building-city with the surrounding nature in the Radlice valley, which five thousand daily users will appreciate in a greater temporal distance, as the green roof is covered with many-meter-tall trees, and one has the feeling that the building has become a natural part of the wooded valley.

In addition to his own creations, one corner of the gallery is also dedicated to the artworks of favorite painters.
Through the image installation, one can glimpse into Pleskot's private life and reveal other artistic sources that inspire the architect.

Through a quartet of square plywood boards leaning against the wall with pinned photographs, plans, and sketches, Josef Pleskot has also transported the atmosphere of his Holešovice studio, located since 1991 in the restituted First Czech Water Meter Factory in Prague's Holešovice, to the Kampa Museum. These boards expand the workspace, layer ideas, are constantly visible to everyone in the studio, and the projects await the right moment for resolution. Here, there is a unique opportunity to glimpse under the lid of the most significant Czech studio of the past quarter-century.

Alongside the exhibition, a complementary program is planned, including guided tours with the author, meetings with investors, and visits to two Prague realizations. Visitors will receive a nearly hundred-page catalog with their ticket, which allows them to revisit individual projects and themes of the exhibition. The exhibition Josef Pleskot: Cities will be on display at the Sovovy mlýny until mid-February next year.

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