Architecture in the Process - Exhibition at MUO

The exhibition "Architecture in Process" is a probe into the work and complex thinking of architects. It examines everything that lies behind the final form of buildings, the steps that lead to them, and how architects shape their three-dimensional ideas. The Museum of Art Olomouc presents the best from its architecture collection, which has grown since the late 1970s to an impressive twenty-two thousand items, until March 12, 2023.
"The process of forming a collection full of sketches, drawings, and models inspired us to find a curatorial key for the exhibition, in which architecture itself is viewed in the process of its creation. We will introduce visitors to all the steps involved in searching for the ideal resolution of architectural tasks and the maturation of architectural creation in general. We will trace with them the initial impulses of school drill, the consolidation of one's handwriting, personal commitment, or practices complicated by contemporary conditions,” explains curator Klára Jeništová.
The exhibition features drawings, models, and projections of realized projects as well as unachieved visions, from both renowned and completely forgotten architects. The selection of exhibits from the MUO collections intersects the timeline from the 19th century to the present. "Visitors will encounter works by famous names: Jan Kotěra, Lubomír and Čestmír Šlapet, Alena Šrámková, the Machonin couple, Václav Aulický, but also with works by younger creators, such as from the architectural studio Malý Chmel. However, a fresh diploma thesis from the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague is also part of the exhibition,” clarifies co-author of the exhibition Martina Mertová.
Not always is the main criterion for the quality of exhibits ‒ sometimes they serve rather as an illustration of the observed phenomenon. "As an example, I can mention various stages of searching for and sketching buildings or the change of a project under the pressure of aesthetic norms with the arrival of socialist realism. Some exhibits also touch on the museum as a collecting and educational institution - they should raise questions about what is still worth protecting or not. And how to influence the public to see other contexts and beauty where they would not look for it, and to free themselves from simplifying evaluative categories: like - don't like," adds Klára Jeništová.

ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE IN THE MUSEUM
Part of the exhibition will be dedicated to purely contemporary work. "To better acquaint people with today's practice, a real architectural office will settle in the exhibition. We believe that the change of approaches in the working process of architects will also engage the audience,” says Martina Mertová. "Based on an open call, we selected the architectural studio Amulet with architects Petr Bureš, Alžběta Žabová, and Jan Skoček. They will work both on their own projects and on preparing architectural solutions for a sculpture exhibition that will take place in 2023. People will thus have the opportunity to communicate with the architects and observe their work in the process of creation,” invites visitors Martina Mertová.
The exhibition is accompanied by a seventy-page catalog, in which the majority of the exhibited works are reprinted. In addition to chapters structured in accordance with the librettos of the exhibition, it introduces interested parties to the history and concept of the Olomouc architecture collection, which alongside the National Gallery, the National Technical Museum, and the Museum of the City of Brno is among the largest that Czech curators care for. "The long-term effort of the Museum of Art Olomouc is education in the field of urbanism, architecture, and heritage care. We believe that this exhibition also has the potential to reach a broad audience, including child visitors, for whom our educators are preparing an interesting accompanying program,” concludes Klára Jeništová.

EXHIBITION: Architecture in Process
OPENING: November 24, 2022, at 6:30 PM
DURATION: Until March 12, 2023
LOCATION: Museum of Modern Art – Salon, Cabinet
CURATORS: Klára Jeništová, Martina Mertová
GRAPHICS: Vladimír Vaca
TRANSLATION: Simon Gill
PHOTOGRAPHY: Zdeněk Sodoma, Malý Chmel studio, Eva Kvaššayová
RESTORATION: Veronika Klimszová, Anežka Jadlovská
INSTALLATION OF THE EXHIBITION: Daniel Opletal, Vlastimil Sedláček, Filip Šindelář
PROMOTION: Lukáš Horák, Tomáš Kasal
ACCOMPANYING PROGRAMS: David Hrbek, Denisa Tessenyi
AUDIOVISUAL: Tomáš Jurníček