Brno terminated the lease of Wannieck gallery

Brno - The Brno city company South Center terminated the lease of the largest contemporary art gallery in the city. According to the director of South Center, Jan Zavřel, the Wannieck gallery did not pay the rent on time and owed the city half a million crowns. The gallery paid off its debt the day after the termination and requested its withdrawal, but the company insists on ending the contractual relationship. It wants to find a reliable partner who will use the space with dignity, Zavřel told ČTK. The Wannieck gallery must vacate the space by March 10.
     The gallery management disagrees with the termination. "I do not understand the intentions of the city of Brno, when on one hand it declares support for culture, and on the other hand, it does not hesitate to undermine a unique gallery that costs the city nothing and contributes to the budget of the city company," said curator and artistic director of the gallery, Richard Adam. Over six years, the Wannieck gallery reportedly paid more than eight million crowns in rent to the city.
     However, according to Zavřel, the rent payments were irregular. "We manage public funds and we must take care of that property. At the moment when the gallery did not pay us and owed money, it was difficult," explained Zavřel's decision. The company's management decided on the termination this week. According to the mayor of Brno, Roman Onderka, the management of South Center will try to connect with individual organizers and offer them direct cooperation. "The new use of the space must be dignified enough to respect and highlight the uniqueness of the property," Onderka told ČTK.
     According to the representative of the gallery's operator and donor, Miroslav Lekeš, there will be a big problem with vacating the collections by the specified date of March 10. "The collections are extensive, and it is technically impossible to complete it in time. Additionally, there is currently an exhibition in the gallery that had its opening last week. We have artists and events planned one to two years in advance, and the termination is a huge problem for us," Lekeš told ČTK.
     The Wannieck gallery is located near the city center next to the Vaňkovka shopping center in a former factory's machine building. The gallery focuses on contemporary art, exhibiting in an area of more than 3,000 square meters. It also includes two smaller galleries for exhibiting smaller projects. Various charity events and concerts, such as the Brno Philharmonic, are held in the spaces of the reconstructed 19th-century hall.
     The future use of the gallery space is not yet clear. "We will wait for offers from various companies. We want the space to be used dignifiedly, without any exaggerated stands. We will also better check the ability to pay rent and consider the possibility of a security deposit from which any unpaid amounts could be covered," Zavřel stated. The Wannieck gallery has been operating in the hall since 2006.