SOULFUL INTERIORS. Artistic dwelling in Adolf Loos’ architectural spaces in Pilsen

The concept centres on the presentation of the artistic projects of twelve members of the younger and middle generations who directly respond to the specific aesthetic qualities of Loos’ enigmatic residences, as well as the dramatic fates of their mainly Jewish residents, whilst also being mindful of the broader political and social contexts associated with the emergence, and often the demise of such architecture.The invited authors based their work on physical research into individual, conserved Loos implementations, as well as studies of his provocative concept, the so-called Raumplan, which favoured function of space, quality of materials, and durability over the historically preferred ornamentalism. In this context, it is logical that many of the projects prepared for the exhibition aim towards the thematization of artistic forms perceived as dimensional character, explore the connection between the significance arising from Loos’ legacy and its representation in contemporary art, and model the new arrangement of individual interior elements and their relationship to the exterior. These procedures are expressed by emphasizing models of fictional situations in the expanded reference field of objective sculpturing, using raw materials in their original or subversive sense, strategies of imitation and visual appropriation, and also artistic pseudo-documentary research. Movement, formulated by processional installation procedures, but mostly by accentuating the dynamic technical image, is an essential component of the entire range of artefacts, as well as the entire exhibition. However, it is exposed not only in the traditional sense, as a shining and clearly defined area, but is also an integral part of the spatial composition and enriches the vibrations of the present and the past.

In the complex plane, the SOULFUL INTERIORS exhibition deepens the socio-cultural potential of a specific place, and opens up that space for the audience to self-identify with. Within the dialogue of the unique historical architectural performance of Adolf Loos and contemporary artists representing the art scene in Pilsen, as well as the wider circle of Czech art, it establishes a framework for the reflection of initial and also painful historical experiences into an uncertain and transforming contemporary societal paradigm.

Exhibiting artists: Matej Al-Ali, Jiří Černický, Milena Dopitová, Martin Kolář,
Alena Kotzmannová, Jan Krtička, Dominik Lang, Luděk Míšek, Tomáš Moravec,
Pavel Mrkus, Jan Stolín, Michaela Thelenová, Benedikt Tolar

This exhibition was prepared in cooperation with the Faculty of Art and Design, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem.