Galerie PLATO will revive the garden, using creative residencies for artists as well

Ostrava - The garden surrounding the Ostrava city gallery PLATO on both sides is set for changes in 2024. The gallery will install seating, shading, and a zone for children. It will also consider plans for additional furniture to be installed in the coming years. All of this will be done in collaboration with artists and experts. The gallery plans activities for schools and the public in the garden. This was stated today by the institution's spokesperson, Dita Eibenová.

The garden covers a total of 9,000 square meters. It was created in October 2022 as a permaculture garden, meaning it is ecological and meaningfully designed for both people and animals. Since June 2023, the gallery has taken care of it and named it the Garden of Presence. It intends to invest over two million crowns in its further transformation. "This amount also includes events for the public and artists who will participate in the design of the new furniture," Eibenová said.

Plato succeeded in the National Recovery Plan program focused on international expert collaboration with the project Residence: Pioneer Plants. Its main focus is the gallery garden. "Therefore, in 2024, it can invite artists for creative residencies. Some stays will focus on building the community character of the garden, while others will involve concrete elements in the form of furniture that will exist at the intersection of art and design. Others will help interested parties orient themselves in theories related to habitats and their biodiversity," the spokesperson said.

The gallery will connect with other institutions. The first guest will be artist and architect Vojtěch Radakulan, and for the second creative stay, the gallery has invited Argentine architect, curator, and educator Rosario Talevi, who lives in Berlin.

Plato focuses on modern and contemporary art. Since September of last year, it has been located in a reconstructed building of the former city slaughterhouse. Previously, it operated in an adjacent abandoned building of a former DIY store. Last year, the gallery prepared five exhibitions for the public, in three cycles, with a total attendance of over 23,000 people. In addition to exhibitions that attract visitors from greater distances, a large number of activities exclusively for Ostrava are also being created in the gallery: workshops, guided tours of exhibitions, tours related to the history of the building as a cultural monument, educational programs for schools, lectures, and discussions.