Prague presented the first winning designs for metro stations D

Vladimír Kokolia

Prague – Prague has introduced the first winners of the art competition for the planned metro D stations. The artistic work of Jakub Nepraš will appear at the Pankrác station, while Vladimir Kokolia will decorate the Olbrachtova station. The artists will further collaborate with the architects of both stations. The art competition for the next three stations will continue in the autumn, representatives from the City Hall, the public transport company, the National Gallery, and Metroproject stated at today's press conference. The unifying theme of metro D will be the color blue and also the furnishings.

For each of the two metro stations, a seven-member evaluation committee received four proposals. The artistic interpretation was supposed to correspond with the station and its purpose, which is why it was announced as a so-called non-open competition, explained Michal Novotný, the director of the collection of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery. In the case of the Pankrác station, Jakub Nepraš won, choosing nanoparticles as the dominant element. He works with themes such as evolution, society, progress, and science. At the same time, he seeks to return to a natural form. His work could be perceived by people as a view into an aquarium, he remarked.

Painter Vladimir Kokolia worked with the concepts of everydayness and banality. He did not want his work to be eye-catching but rather perceived subliminally, he stated. He decided to capitalize on the moment of waiting, when people do not know where to look. Thus, groups of figures will appear on the arches of the station as if observed from above.

According to Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Prague Sobě), metro D should be a flagship not only technologically but also artistically. "It will show that the public transport company has it. It is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic," he stated, adding that it can afford to utilize the skills of the best experts. At the same time, this step marks Prague's return to the 70s and 80s, when the metro was supposed to be a "showcase" and artists participated in its decoration, he further remarked.

The competition for the Nádraží Krč, Nemocnice Krč, and Nové Dvory stations should be announced in September or October. For the Libuš, Písnice, and Depo Písnice stations, it will follow in the spring of 2020. The city does not want to disclose the costs for the art projects, stating that in the overall budget, they are negligible amounts, Scheinherr added.

Thousands of people demanded the announcement of architectural competitions in a petition. The city subsequently promised at least an art competition that would not interfere with the already approved project.