Karlín Studios will move to the market in Holešovice

Prague - Galleries and studios for artists that were established more than ten years ago in former factory halls in Karlín will be relocating this year. In the building where Karlin Studios is located, the owner, company M2, plans to expand the Corso office complex. The studios and galleries are expected to move this year to one of the halls in the Holešovice market. The new space should retain all the functions that Karlin Studios currently has.

Karlin Studios was founded in 2005 by Italian architect and entrepreneur Albert Di Stefano in collaboration with Jiří David as the first post-industrial space in Prague, combining exhibition spaces with studios and residential stay areas. MeetFactory, Trafačka, and Orco on Vltavská were established later.

Most of them benefit from the fact that property owners are postponing the demolition or reconstruction of former industrial buildings for various reasons - Trafačka has lasted in Vysočany for eight years compared to the original expectation, the building of the former electrical enterprises is still awaiting reconstruction, and Karlin Studios will have an eleven-year history. "The owner of the current space at Karlin Studios has promised that we should be able to stay on Křížíková 34 until the end of August," said the curator of Karlin Studios Michal Novotný to ČTK.

Nevertheless, the gallery is issuing a call for projects for the second half of this year. Depending on its character, it anticipates that its results will still be presented in Karlín. "They do not have to relate to the end of activities and history of Karlin Studios, but their position will be a challenge for the building itself. We are specifically interested in projects that emphasize moments of disruption, erasure, damage, destruction, and irreversibility, not as metaphorical figures of language, but as a concrete approach to the walls, floors, and ceilings of the building," states the call.

The Prague City Council approved a loan of a hall in the market in Holešovice to the civic association Karlin Studios. "The transfer has not yet occurred because we are dealing with a leaking roof, non-functional air conditioning, and heating. It is possible that due to necessary adjustments, we may not be able to move into the building until autumn," says Novotný. The association should have the hall for five years without paying rent.

A space called Jatka78, which combines alternative theater, circus, and art, was recently opened in the market. The intention of Prague 7 is to build an entire cultural quarter around the market. However, the market is owned by the city hall, which currently does not plan significant changes to its content.

In recent years, many galleries, associations, cafes, and community spaces have emerged in Holešovice, which the local council wants to work with. "Holešovice is attractive, but rather as a residence for the younger generation of the creative class. Otherwise, I believe there is an artistic scene comparable to other quarters like Žižkov," says Novotný.

"Primarily, we aim to maintain activities; we are mainly looking for space, then its accessibility, and only then the atmosphere in the neighborhood - we were therefore mainly searching for empty spaces that are difficult to utilize," he describes how the idea of moving to the market came about. "The three-story furniture store that hall number 40 is today has no justification - and we sought assistance from the city, which, in my opinion, should help us after ten years of operation," he adds.