Krištof Kintera: Building Sculptures and Girl with a Dove at Kunsthalle Praha

This exhibition transforms seven actual buildings from Prague's communist era into miniature concrete sculptures, creating a unique micro-city. These artworks offer a new perspective on Brutalist architecture, reflecting its fluctuating popularity and the historical context of the period.

Krištof Kintera's site-specific project, 'Building Sculptures and Girl with a Dove,' transforms seven iconic buildings from Prague's communist era into miniature concrete sculptures. These artworks, sensitive to the park's terrain, include representations of a church, bank, TV tower, shopping mall, telecommunication building, housing estate, and hotel. They exist in dialogue with Václav Šimek's 1958 sculpture, 'Girl with a Dove,' the sole original element of the park. The exhibition delves into the complex legacy of architecture from the communist period in Czechoslovakia, a time of cultural slowdown yet significant international architectural innovation. Kintera's work addresses the societal ambiguity and lack of appreciation towards this heritage, which has unfortunately led to tragic demolitions. By miniaturizing, dramatically lighting, and partially deconstructing selected buildings, Kintera offers a novel framework for perceiving Brutalist architecture, highlighting its powerful presence even within oppressed times and evoking the fluctuating popularity and enduring significance of these structures. The accompanying catalogue further explores this theme, enriching literature on Prague's Brutalist architecture with an unusual outlook on buildings from the communist era. It features texts by architecture theoretician Rostislav Koryčánek, an interview with curator Christelle Havranek, and photographs documenting the creation of the sculptures, alongside extensive archive material. Krištof Kintera, a notable figure in the Czech art scene, has a history of engaging with public space and large-scale exhibitions, including seminal shows at Museum Tinguely in Basel and Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague.

The exhibition is located in Park Holubička. Further details regarding ticketing for Kunsthalle Praha generally can be found on their website, but specific exhibition entry information is not detailed here beyond its location and duration. The provided links direct to exhibition catalogues and event listings rather than direct ticket sales for this specific installation, suggesting it may be accessible as part of the park or general museum admission if applicable.