Kateřina Urban Samková and the Small Hall of Galerie Mánes in Prague present a very unusual exhibition

The Small Hall of Galerie Mánes in Prague is currently presenting the exhibition Salon Mánes - Flower, which combines the works of established artists with the work of artists selected from an open call. The project was created as the first significant step of a new exhibition format, which aims to open the prestigious gallery space to a wider public, to support contemporary artists in a difficult economic situation and to show that art does not have to be a closed world for insiders only.

According to the curator of the exhibition, Kateřina Urban Samková from the organizing company Czech Gang, the theme encoded in the very name of the event is not merely decorative or elementary. The flower becomes a symbol of beauty, impermanence, growth, memory, fragility and strength. The exhibition therefore presents a diverse selection of paintings, objects and other visual approaches that show how strong and still relevant this theme can be in contemporary art.

Project Salon Mánes - Flower

... is based on a combination of curated artists and open selection. In addition to well-known names such as painters and graphic artists Patrik Habl, Petr Písařík, Aleš Růžička, Michal Micl Novotný or the world-renowned glass artist Jiří Pačinek, the space was also given to authors selected through an open call. In total, the work of thirty artists is on display.

“Anyone could apply for the call. The works from the open call were selected anonymously by a curatorial jury - only according to the impact of the work itself...” the exhibition curator told journalists during the opening. The exhibition opened on April 8 with a musical performance by Varhan Orchestrovich Bauer and an art performance. From the outset, it has been conceived as a live project with an accompanying program that includes artist openings, guided meetings, artist medallions and other public events. It is on view until the end of May.

Mánes as a place where living art returns

As is well known, the legendary Prague art sanctuary with its functionalist gallery on the banks of the Vltava River is an inspiring space for contemporary and classical Czech art. To exhibit here is an honour and glory for established names. And for emerging artists, it is literally a ticket to the world of the famous and successful.

“The choice of location is not random. Mánes Gallery is one of the most significant symbols of Czech modern art and since its inception it has been associated with the idea of openness, courage and dialogue between artists, architecture and the public. It was not intended to be just an exhibition space, but a living cultural place where art should meet with the city, society and contemporary life,” adds curator Samková and continues. It is not a nostalgic return to the past, but a contemporary continuation of it. The aim is to reopen the space to authors, visitors, young artists and people who are still finding their way to art. Thus, Salon Mánes - Flower is not just an exhibition, but an attempt to return the principle of a living salon to Mánes - a place where art is not only shown, but also shared, explained, sold, discussed and naturally enters people's lives.“

Innovative exhibition approach

Salon Mánes - Květina does not want to be just an exhibition that opens once and then waits for visitors. Czech Gang works with the exhibition as a living cultural organism. The artists are not just names on labels. They are given the space to present their story, process, works and relationship to the theme. Short artist medallions, videos, personal invitations and other formats are created to bring contemporary art to people in a human, understandable and unnecessarily distant way. The exhibition also includes an effort to actively work with the public. The visitor is not meant to be just a spectator, but a person who can discover, question, choose and create their own relationship with art. This approach is also important when the exhibition promotes the sale of contemporary art. The aim is not to push for a purchase, but to show that an image or object can be part of life, home and personal identity.

Gallery as an open space

The exhibition is a continuation of other activities that Czech Gang is gradually developing in the Small Hall of Galerie Mánes. The space is becoming a place for exhibitions, workshops, educational programmes, meetings of brands, artists and the public. In recent months, it has hosted creative and educational events for women, AI workshops, floral workshops and community programs that connect culture, education and personal experience.

An important part of the preparation of the exhibition was also cooperation with students of the Václav Hollar Secondary School of Art, who were involved in the creation of the visual identity of the project. The winning graphic design of the exhibition was created as part of a school competition at the Václav Hollar School of Art. The author of the winning design is student Vojtěch Palouš, who worked under the guidance of Helena Jiskrová. The students were given the opportunity to work with a real assignment for a specific cultural event and their designs became part of the communication of the exhibition. In this way, Czech Gang connects gallery operations with the young generation of artists and shows that an exhibition does not have to be a finished product, but also an open process.

Salon Mánes - Květina wants to attract not only regular gallery visitors, but also people who do not normally visit exhibition spaces. The exhibition is aimed at the general public, families with children, collectors, aspiring art buyers and anyone looking for contemporary art to live with.

Ivan Cerny

One of Jiří Pačink's specialities are sculptures of so-called garden architecture - glass flowers, even whole trees, as can be seen in the Glass Garden in the Kunratice glassworks complex near Cvikovo.