Open letter to the Mayor of the statutory city of Brno, JUDr. Markéta Vaňková, the City Council of Brno, and the representatives of the Augustinian Monastery of St. Thomas in Old Brno regarding the results of the competition "Artwork for the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Gregor Johann Mendel"

Dear Mayor, esteemed members of the Council of the City of Brno, respected representatives of the Augustinian Monastery of St. Thomas in Old Brno,

Allow us to express our professional opinion regarding the outcome of the public international architectural and artistic competition for a work of art commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gregor Johann Mendel, organized by the Brno organization Společně, o.p.s.

First, we would like to emphasize that we fully support the strategy of the city of Brno, which has long strived for the cultivation of public space through artistic interventions, both permanent and temporary. Whether it's the financially and organizationally demanding project "Sculptures for Brno," through which the city has been commemorating significant figures associated with the city since 2006, or the international biennale Brno Art Open, organized by the House of Arts of the City of Brno. It can be said without exaggeration that Brno is a model for many cities in this regard. One of the reasons is the fact that it can effectively utilize the tool of architectural and artistic competition. The work dedicated to the memory of Gregor Johann Mendel was supposed to bring a new international dimension and quality that would correspond to the significance of commemorating the birth of the founder of modern genetics. The importance of this anniversary was confirmed by Pope Francis I, who on November 17, 2021, in the Vatican, received the representatives of the city and the Augustinian order and blessed the foundation stones of the planned Brno monument. The anticipated budget for the realization of the sculpture, amounting to 20 million CZK, was unprecedented in the country, and should correspond with the significance of the entire event. Unfortunately, the result of the internationally announced, financially well-supported competition is disappointing.

The blame seems to lie with various errors that occurred during the preparation of the competition conditions. The city abandoned the original idea of becoming the organizer of the competition in favor of the organization Společně, o.p.s., which presumably lacks sufficient experience with such types of events, and therefore delegated the organizational management of the competition to another entity, the Prague company Art Lines s.r.o. The competition conditions included several problematic factors, such as minority representation of the professional public in the competition jury, the absence of architects who are the authors of the proposal for the renovation of the square, too short a time to create the final realization, and others. All of this contributed to the subpar artistic quality of the winning work. The result of the competition was not unanimously accepted even by the members of the jury: the proposal won by a mere point. It is telling that the chair of the competition jury, Prof. Ing. arch. Zdeněk Fránek, and independent juror, curator Mgr. Martin Dostál, expressed their written objections against it in the evaluation protocol dated December 4, 2021.

Mendel Square was severely affected by bombing in 1944, which is still evident from the seemingly illogical arrangement of its layout. Among the city's inhabitants, "Mendlák" is known as an overloaded traffic hub, still waiting for its chance to become a fully-fledged urban center, as befits its historical significance. It seemed that the installation of a suitable piece could expedite this transformation. The winning project by Michal Palaščák and Michal Poláš on urban-architectural solutions for the square from 2018 promised traffic calming, more greenery, places for rest and leisure. The fact that none of the aforementioned architects was appointed as a member of the competition jury is considered unfortunate.

The winning proposal from Jaromír Gargulák is literally illustrative to the point of banality and does not meet the ideological and expressive demands required of contemporary art. The author of the winning proposal does not exhibit and is not represented in standard exhibition and collection institutions dealing with contemporary art. He lacks sufficient experience with the realization of similar monumental objects in public space. The result of the competition is all the more problematic given that significant Czech and international artists were invited to participate. The inadequate number of submitted proposals (8 participants) for such an important competition indicates inappropriate competition conditions.

In light of the problematic and unprofessional level of the winning sculpture by Jaromír Gargulák, the permanent placement of the sculpture in the newly modified Mendel Square, its financial demands, and also the international significance of Gregor Johann Mendel, to which the sculptural realization should correspond, we recommend a review of the results of the competition. Given the scope and importance of the competition, we also recommend transparently publishing all competition proposals and the jury's written evaluations.

The city of Brno has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to conduct such competitions exemplary and with excellent results. Given the significance of the personality of Gregor Johann Mendel, the ambitious scope of the commission, and the city's reputation as a cultural metropolis, we understand this approach as the only possible one.

In Brno, January 19, 2022

Prof. Ing. arch. Zdeněk Fránek; Chair of the Competition Jury for the Artwork for the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Gregor Johann Mendel, Faculty of Design and Art Ladislav Sutnar of the University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University
doc. MgA. Milan Houser; Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology
Mgr. Jana Kořínková, Ph.D.; Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology
Mgr. Terezie Petišková; Director of the House of Arts of the City of Brno

Their consent to the wording of this open letter has also been expressed by:
doc. MgA. Filip Cenek, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology
prof. ak. mal. Jiří Černický, AAAD Prague
PhDr. Dagmar Černoušková, Museum of the City of Brno
prof. ak. mal. Jiří David, Visual Artist
MgA. Petr Dub, Ph.D., Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Association Skutek (ambassador "% for Art" in public space)
prof. PaedDr. Radek Horáček, Ph.D., Faculty of Education MU, editor of the book Sculptural Brno (1989-2019)
PhDr. Kaliopi Chamonikola, Ph.D., Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology
Mgr. Veronika Jičínská, Brno Architectural Manual
Mgr. Petr Kamenický, Ph.D., Faculty of Education MU
MgA. Pavel Karous, Ph.D., Aliens and Herons, z. s.
Mgr. Rostislav Koryčánek, Moravian Gallery in Brno
PhDr. Marika Kupková, Ph.D., Gallery TIC, Faculty of Arts MU
doc. Mgr. Tomáš Pospiszyl, Ph.D., Academy of Fine Arts in Prague
Mgr. Silvie Šeborová, Art Critic, Founder of Artalk.cz
doc. Mgr. Jan Zálešák, Ph.D., Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology
PhDr. Ladislav Zikmund-Lender, Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology
Mgr. Markéta Žáčková, Ph.D., Faculty of Fine Arts of the Brno University of Technology
PhDr. Magdalena Juříková, Director of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague
prof. PhDr. PaeDr. Jindřich Vybíral, DSc., Rector of the AAAD Prague
Mgr. Marcela Straková, Cultural Manager, Program Director of Brno European Capital of Culture 2028
Mgr. Marek Pokorný, Director of the PLATO Ostrava Gallery
Mgr. Petr Nedoma, Director of the Rudolfinum Gallery
doc. PhDr. Filip Suchomel, Ph.D., Faculty of Arts UK