Prague’s former Zenger Electricity Substation will open on 22 February as the Kunsthalle Praha, a non-profit exhibition space supported by the family foundation of Petr and Pavlína Pudil.
The program of Modern and contemporary Czech and international art begins with a show paying tribute to the 1930s building’s original function, Kinetismus: 100 Years of Art and Electricity.
Located in the converted building of the former Zenger power substation, with an exhibition area of 1300 m2. Berlin Werkstudio, led by university professor and architect Axel Kufus, is responsible for interior design and renovation.
The gallery’s mission is to create an international platform for art and culture, a meeting point hosting a wide program of art exhibitions and educational projects with a focus on 20th and 21st-century Czech art, an open and shared place for citizens and the general public.
Commenting on the facility’s new role in the city, curator Christelle Havranek says that its mission is to work collaboratively, to partner with other cultural institutions and think globally by presenting visual artists from diverse backgrounds.
Although it is privately funded, she sees the Kunsthalle as a source of public education, a symbol of the best art practices, and a space in which a national narrative of Czech art can be presented in relation to what is happening in the world.
Pudil emphasizes that the name of the planned space – Kunsthalle Praha – is already a clear indication of their intent.
“The joining of the German word ‘Kunsthalle’ with the Czech spelling of Prague is a testament to the foundation’s dual mission: to put the city on the European map of art capitals, and to contextualise the art of Czechia”, he said.
