The Jaroslav Fragner Gallery will thunder with punk

Even four decades after the word "punk" became part of the cultural and social scene, it continues to provoke. It has been diluted a hundred times within advertising, snobbish events, design, fashion, cosmetics, or even the automobile industry. Yet, even as a "brand," it still manages to attract attention. Perhaps it is also because, despite the abundance of ostentatious ballast from punk waters, a strong, distinctive current can spring forth. This also applies to architecture: the selection of projects whose authors can be – often unknowingly, from the outside – called "punks" will be exhibited from Friday, October 17, until December 7, at the Gallery of Jaroslav Fragner in Prague. The opening of the exhibition Punk in Architecture will be stylishly launched: today, Thursday, October 16, at 7:00 PM, in the Courtyard of the Bethlehem Chapel, bands Paramones (SK) and Plexis (CZ) will perform.

Over thirty projects by domestic and foreign architects are on display. Figures such as Henri Labrouste, Josef Gočár, and Hans Hollein, through postmodernists Coop Himmelb(l)au and Vlada Milunić, to Martin Rajniš, Petr Suský, Svatopluk Sládeček, Ivan Kroupa or the studios HŠH and H3T. The individual realizations are connected by excerpts from texts by prominent philosophers and art historians – Aaron Betsky, Hans Ibelings, or Petr Rezek. The punk charge of the exhibition was also given by the architectural concept of Jakub Fišer from the Aulík Fišer architects studio.

“Basically, we have softened the term “punk” and made a kind of glasses through which we look at contemporary architecture and historical buildings,” explains one of the curators, Filip Šenk. “Thanks to this punk perspective, architects and buildings from various periods have emerged before us, united by “otherness” compared to what could be labeled as “mainstream.” They may embody ironic, antinormative, utopian stances – but are always distinctive.”

Curators Dan Merta, Jakub Fišer, and Filip Šenk faced the challenging task of defining the group of “punks in architecture” retrospectively. This spans the last century, amid uncertainty about what characteristics punk in architecture even possesses. Moreover, they had to avoid the pitfalls of self-serving rebellions, flights of fancy, mere amusement, or punk mimics of incompetence.

The guiding light became the visions, both unfulfilled and materialized in realizations that stand out – from the context of the time of their creation, their author's cohesive handwriting, or the individual creator. Among the selected creators, we would find several architects who programmatically created on the fringe, outside the establishment. Many of them, through their conviction, perseverance, and tenacity, pushed the boundaries of what is possible in architecture further. This is also true for the often underrated or overlooked domestic environment: whether it be wooden creations with innovative structural elements from Martin Rajniš, eco-buildings with numerous sustainable “tricks” from Petr Suský, or intelligent facades and other hi-tech constructions by Mirko Baum.

As another curator, Dan Merta, adds, among the authors of the presented projects, one can also find those who grew up during the golden punk era in the 70s and 80s or were caught in their already creative period. “We see punk as a certain generational phenomenon. And we were interested in how much it influenced the attitudes of architects and whether it somehow reflected in their work,” Merta adds.

In light of the exploitation of punk and punk (sub)culture in many, and far from only creative sectors, the exhibition Punk in Architecture offers numerous intersections. This is why the exhibition section is accompanied by quotes and other examples from the works of David Bowie, Alfred Jarry, Iggy Pop, or Vivienne Westwood. Visitors to Bethlehem Square are also invited to the site-specific installations by Jiří Příhoda, H3T, František Kowolowski, or Jan and Petr Stolín.

In the Lapidarium of the Bethlehem Chapel, a parallel exhibition titled NAHRAJ! is taking place. It has been prepared by the Archwerk studio and consists of small experimental realizations from selected Czech studios.

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