Professor Friedhelm Mennekes' lecture on the topic of Swiss sensitivity will take place on Thursday, March 15, 2018, at 7:30 PM in the baroque refectory of the Dominican monastery at St. Giles (entrance Jilská 7a).
Professor Mennekes will present three prominent positions of contemporary Swiss architecture, exemplified by three specific buildings that he knows intimately and that are dear to him. At the Museum of Art Cologne, he has been guiding visitors for an extended period. He has recently been collaborating with Gione Caminada at ETH Zurich. The Museum Unterlinden in Colmar, with Matthias Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, especially after the wonderful restoration by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, is another site for regular contemplation of space, image, and the dynamics of empathy. Prof. em. Dr. phil., Lic. theol. Friedhelm Mennekes SJ (* 1940), Jesuit and emeritus professor of practical theology and sociology of religion at Phil.-theol. Hochschule Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main. Since the late 1970s, he has significantly contributed to the dialogue between the church, faith, and contemporary art, collaborating with artists such as Joseph Beuys, Eduardo Chillida, James Lee Byars, Jannis Kounellis, Anish Kapoor, among others. He initially organized exhibitions in Frankfurt am Main at the parish of St. Mark – Nied and at Frankfurt Central Station. From 1987 to 2008, he worked in Cologne, where he founded the now-world-famous Station of Art St. Peter – Kunst-Station St. Peter. Mennekes is the author of many books, catalogs, and scholarly articles, and serves as a visiting professor at several world universities. Triáda Publishing, in collaboration with the Center for Theology and Art, published Mennekes' book: Enthusiasm and Doubt. New Art in an Old Church.
Organized by the platform Dominikánská 8 and the Center for Theology and Art at KTF UK. Professional interpretation of the lecture and discussion will be provided.