JAN KAPLICKÝ – ON HIS OWN PATH

The exhibition JAN KAPLICKÝ - ON HIS OWN PATH at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague maps the life and work of Czech architect Jan Kaplický, who spent most of his professional life in Great Britain. As evidenced by the name Future Systems, which Kaplický chose for his studio, the future was a central theme of his work even at a time when it was no longer popular. The concept of the exhibition is designed as a journey through time, where the viewer has the opportunity to follow the development of Jan Kaplický's work and his extraordinary life story through specific installations.

In an area of over 700 m², a monumental spatial labyrinth has been created, containing hundreds of meters of graphic installations documenting most of Jan Kaplický's projects and those of his studio FUTURE SYSTEMS. Also displayed are 60 architectural and development models on tables specially designed for this exhibition. The scale of the models ranges from small design proposals (for example, jewelry the size of 10 cm) to skyscraper architecture (model size up to 1.5 m). The exhibition also includes projections representing Kaplický's lecturing activities, fashion designs, and key sources of inspiration for his work. The overall concept of the exhibition is based on the use of shapes and color schemes typical of Kaplický's work. Organic shapes, the color gradient of the interior facade, and flooring evoke the complex environment of Kaplický's visual world.

The exhibition was created under the guidance of architect Eva Jiřičná in collaboration with the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Eliška Fuchsová Kaplický, AI DESIGN, LN DESIGN, and ALBA DESIGN PRESS.

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ABOUT JAN KAPLICKÝ

EVA JIŘIČNÁ

Jan Kaplický was born in 1937 in Prague. Both of his parents were artists: his father Josef was a sculptor, painter, architect, and graphic artist, while his mother Jiřina illustrated books on botany with incredible patience and attention to detail.

Jan experienced both the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Hitler's army and the dictatorship of communism, followed by the Soviet army's occupation in 1968. His departure to England shortly after the invasion marked a turning point in his life.

Although he was a completely unknown immigrant, he quickly managed to secure employment with some of the most important architectural firms of the time: Denys Lasdun and Partners, Piano and Rogers Architects, and Foster Associates. His first attempts to engage with the English architectural scene were thus successful very soon after his arrival. It was the publications of his projects and photomontages that later made his name known worldwide.

During his brief time at Louis de Soissons Partnership, he met David Nixon and founded the private firm Future Systems with him. Later, David Nixon moved to Los Angeles, where he intended to work for NASA as an architect-designer, and Amanda Levete became the partner of Future Systems - and Kaplický's partner in personal life - with whom he had a son, Josef, named after his grandfather, in 1995.

This was followed by an extraordinarily successful period of won competitions and realizations. The first significant building was the media center at Lord’s Cricket Ground, for which Future Systems received the prestigious Stirling Prize. Another significant realization is the Selfridges department store in Birmingham, which was included by The Independent magazine in the list of the most important modern buildings in the world.

During the filming of a biographical film portrait that premiered in 2004, Jan Kaplický met producer Eliška Fuchsová, and he married her in 2007. That same year, he won the competition for the design of the National Library in Prague and received an honorary doctorate from the AA School of Architecture, where he had studied many years before. On the day Jan and Eliška Kaplický's daughter Johanka was born, January 14, 2009, the renowned architect passed away.

Jan Kaplický's works have been exhibited at eighty exhibitions worldwide: at the Royal Academy in London, at the Venice Biennale, the Triennale in Milan, as well as at architecture exhibitions in China, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, San Diego, and elsewhere. He lectured in more than twenty-five countries and participated in working symposiums at numerous universities.

Thirteen books have been written about Jan Kaplický. He himself published several publications of personal insights and opinions. Among them are: Album, Sketches, and Czech Inspiration.

During the last twenty-five years in England, he received forty-seven awards, including second place for the National Library in Paris, first prize from the Royal Academy of Arts for the Stonehenge Visitors Centre, and first prize in an international competition for the National Library in Prague. Jan Kaplický is considered one of the visionaries of modern architecture.