Pressure

Curated selection of the best works by UMPRUM students 2016—2017

Pressure
Curators:Johana Lomová, Roman Vrtiška, Vladimír Žák
Address: 17. listopadu 2, Old City, Prague, Czech Republic
Investor:Uměleckoprůmyslové museum v Praze
Completion:25.4. - 17.6.2018


The Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM) deepens its collaboration with the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague (UPM). In the newly renovated museum spaces, it will present a selection of the best works by UMPRUM students from the past two years.


The exhibition Overpressure will showcase 24 works by UMPRUM students. All studios are represented, including the English program Visual Arts and the Department of Theory and History of Art. The title of the exhibition aptly characterizes UMPRUM as a place with an unwavering influx of creativity, transcending and rejecting existing concepts and extending into other areas and social themes. "We perceive the overpressure of free and independent thinking as a synonym for the energy that wants to escape and that is unstoppable. We view this pressure of such energy as a symbol of the school, and it has thus become the central theme of our annual exhibition," say exhibition curators Roman Vrtiška and Vladimír Žák.


The installation and chosen works follow the structure of the school, by departments and studios. A blue living object, a textile wall, permeates the halls, from which information about the exhibition and UMPRUM emerges and is drawn in. The pulsating object under pressure of creative energy works with expansion and deformation and is the main principle of the visual aspect of the exhibition.


Curators selected from 80 works recommended by individual studios and departments. They focused on pieces that have meaningful and direct communicative value, are understandable and clear to the viewer at first glance. Mentioned are the irrigation wall for plants by Amálie Koppová, the plan for a utopian asylum city by Tomáš Němeček, the electric bus by Dark Zahálka, or the fans by Anna Ročnová, who works with a combination of natural materials and used oil. Team works are also represented, such as the Brewery project by the Writing and Typography studio.



"The exhibition Overpressure can thus be marked not only as an overpressure of creativity but also as the school's interest in not only creating fine art but also addressing general issues, reacting to the ecological situation, social events, and the needs of people," adds the curator of the exhibition, Johana Lomová, regarding the selection.


On the occasion of the exhibition, a catalog is also published that details the individual works. Besides a number of information about the cooperation between UMPRUM and UPM and individual exhibits, the young authors themselves play a significant role. They appear in photographs in connection with the objects that inspired them. The author of these photographs and the unconventional concept of presenting individual students is Peter Fabo in collaboration with UMPRUM students Cindy Kutíková and Jiří Mock. These two students from the Studio of Graphic Design and Visual Communication also worked on the exhibition catalog. 




About the cooperation between UMPRUM and UPM


The Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM) and the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague (UPM) are connected by a long history that began right from their inception (1885). The intensity of mutual cooperation has been influenced by the social atmosphere as well as historical and political events. Last year, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the two institutions, which aims to support the solidarity and mutual support of both institutions. After seven years, the tradition of hosting retrospective exhibitions of UMPRUM students returns to the newly renovated spaces of the Museum of Applied Arts.


"From the perspective of the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague (UPM), the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM) has always been seen as a significant partner, as during the time of the foundation of both institutions, it was not accidental proximity, but a conceptual plan of the state within the framework of the Austro-Hungarian Empire," confirms the importance of collaboration by UPM director Helena Koenigsmarková.


"With an awareness of historical solidarity and the specific cultural, educational, and scientific role in the field of fine arts, artistic crafts, and industry, both institutions signed a memorandum last year for closer cooperation. The transfer of events so significant for the school, such as retrospective exhibitions, to the premises of UPM thus becomes an important step towards fulfilling this partnership," says UMPRUM rector Prof. Jindřich Smetana regarding the consolidation of mutual cooperation.
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
0 comments
add comment

more buildings from VRTIŠKA • ŽÁK