Kunsthalle Modern and Contemporary Art
Kunsthalle in Prague, located in the former Zenger transformer station, offers three exhibition spaces, a design shop, a bistro, and a café with a unique view of Prague Castle. As the name implies, this is a Kunsthalle-type museum, meaning that the exhibitions are short-term and temporary.
Kunsthalle Temporary Exhibitions
The short-time exhibitions focus on Czech and international art from the 20th and 21st centuries, with an emphasis on contemporary and modern art.
Two Permanent Exhibitions
1. Cabinet of Electric Curiosities was created by the American artist Mark Dion. His work for the Kunsthalle Prague includes objects used in the former Zenger transformation building.
The Zenger building supplied electricity to the tram and trolleybus network of Prague. The exhibition shows a work of art consisting of switches, light bulbs, batteries and other electrical components that once caused a true revolution and were the pinnacle of modernity when the horse-drawn trams were replaced by electric trams.
The zenger station transformed high-voltage electricity to low-voltage and also converted alternating current to direct current for prague’s tram network.
Mark Dion’s work of art symbolizes the transformation of Prague. Electricity led to a radical change in the way of life of Prague residents.
2. Concrete mini-versions of Brutalist Buildings
Concrete mini-replicas of Prague Brutalist buildings are on display in the small park oposite the Kunsthalle. Several of these buildings have already been demolished or are earmarked for demolishion. Many people find these buildings eyesores and reminders of the Communist past.
The Czech artist Krištof Kintera objects to the annilation of the city’s collective memory and, with his deliberately damaged sculptures, he shows that robust architecture is subject to demolition when these buildings no longer seem to fit into the streetscape.
Address: Kunsthalle Prague, Klarov 5, Prague
Opening hours: 11.00-19.00, Wednesday until 21.00, closed on Tuesday.
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