You can now visit the exhibition Strom.Strom. by Vladimir 518 not only on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays but also on Saturdays! Stop by and enjoy it during the Advent season. Opening hours are from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM on these days.

While you’re here, check out our stylish KRUH socks featuring the iconic Ještěd design and other architectural merchandise: posters and postcards inspired by iconic 20th-century Czech buildings, along with many more unique products. Perfect gift ideas for Christmas!

We look forward to welcoming you to Galerie Prostora.

Exhibition: 14/11 – 17/1 2025
Opening hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 2:00 PM–5:30 PM

Galerie Prostora (1st floor)
Blanická 9, 120 00 Prague 2

For gallery access, please ring the buzzer for Skupina / Prostora.

The collection by Vladimir 518 showcases works spanning visual arts, architecture, music, literature, and even inspiring children’s creations. The first guided tour of the exhibition will take place on December 17th at 6 PM, led by Vladimir 518 and the gallery’s founder, Marcela Steinbachová.

Photo: Tomáš Souček

Exhibition dates: November 14, 2023 – January 17, 2025
Opening hours: Wednesday–Friday, 2 PM–5:30 PM

Galerie Prostora (1st floor)
Blanická 9, 120 00 Prague 2

To access the gallery, please ring Skupina / Prostora.

The opening of the sixth exhibition Strom.Strom. took place on Wednesday, November 13, at 6 PM, with Vladimir 518 and other guests in attendance. We sincerely thank everyone who joined us for the vernissage.

On December 17 at 6 PM, the first guided tour of the exhibition will be held with Vladimir 518 and the gallery’s founder, Marcela Steinbachová.

Vladimir 518 to Present His Collection at Prostora Gallery in the Exhibition Entitled Strom.Strom. (Tree.Tree.)
The opening will take place on Wednesday, November 13, at 6:00 PM.

This November, Prostora Gallery will present the personal collection of visual artist and musician Vladimir 518. The new exhibition will showcase selected works from both contemporary Czech and international art scenes, running from Thursday, November 14, through Friday, January 17. It will open with a vernissage on Wednesday, November 13, at 6:00 PM, attended by the artist. Guided tours will be offered during the exhibition’s run.

Vladimir 518’s collection includes works spanning fine art, architecture, music, literature, and even inspirational children’s art. The exhibition title Strom.Strom references two specific children’s drawings while also exploring Vladimir’s diverse fields of research and his fascination with the organic branching of human culture. Alongside individual art pieces, collected according to a strictly subjective criterion, the gallery will present graphic design alongside photography, analog fetishes of cassettes and vinyls with alternative comics, and sculptural objects. The vernissage will include a brief experimental music performance by Vladimir 518.

Artists Represented:
Václav Stratil. Epos 257. Evžen Šimera. Krištof Kintera. Jakub Hubálek. Lubomír Typlt. Federico Díaz. Pavel Brázda. David Böhm. Jiří Franta. Alexey Klyuykov. Vít Svoboda. Jiří Valoch. Antonín Kratochvíl. Tomáš Souček. Lukáš Jasanský. Martin Polák. Josef Klimeš. Marko Čermák. Jiří David. Tron. Doppeldenk. Johana Brožová. Frida Brožová. Josef Pleskot. Julius Reichel. Matěj Olmer. Jiří Rathouský. Prokop Bartoníček. Adam Tureček. Adam Štech. Zuzana Lednická. František Štorm.

About Vladimir 518
Vladimir 518, born Vladimír Brož in 1978, emerged in the 1990s and 2000s as a prominent figure in the Prague graffiti scene. His career spans book illustration, graphic design, comics, book publications, theatrical set design, and fine arts. In 2004-2005, he lived and worked in Leipzig, Germany, collaborating with the progressive typography group Black Red. He has worked as a scenographer with the experimental theater group TOW, presenting shows worldwide. He was also a member of the audiovisual group SPAM (known for works like Karel Gott Prager and Interpretation of Zdeněk Sýkora’s Black and White Structures). Between 2006 and 2021, he led the BiggBoss organization, producing books and music projects focused on urban culture and contemporary art. His notable publications include the trilogy Kmeny (2006, 2011, 2013), Obsession (2015), and Architecture 58–89 (2022). He also created the documentary series Kmeny and Architecture 58–89 for Czech Television and the feature-length film Architecture ČSSR 58–89. In addition to his publishing and visual art, he is widely recognized for his music, having released seven studio albums, three mixtapes, numerous music videos, and collaborations across genres.

About Prostora Gallery
Located in the heart of Vinohrady, Prostora is a gallery founded by architect Marcela Steinbachová, the founder of the Skupina studio, the Kruh association, and its activities, including lecture series on architecture, the Day of Architecture festival, and the Film and Architecture festival. Prostora opened in June 2023 in the former telephone exchange at Blanická 9, near náměstí Míru, and is currently presenting its sixth collection of visual artists. The gallery’s name reflects the Czech word for “space,” though prostora specifically denotes a more defined and bounded environment, like an exhibition space. Recently, Prostora has focused on presenting contemporary artists’ collections.

Strom.Strom (Tree.Tree.) – Vladimir 518
Opening on Wednesday, November 13, at 6:00 PM
Exhibition dates: November 14 – January 17, 2025

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IG @prostora_galerie

Opening Hours
Wednesday–Friday: 2:00–5:30 PM
By arrangement on Saturdays: 2:00–5:30 PM
Or upon request (closed on public holidays and during Christmas)

Admission
Voluntary; more information available at www.prostora.org.

Photos of Prostora and the exhibition are available on the website.

Organized by
Prostora, Marcela Steinbachová
Supported by: Prague City, Czech State Culture Fund
Media Partners: Český rozhlas Vltava, Archizoom, ArtMap, Cultural Magazine Uni, Prague Moon

Media Contacts
Marcela Steinbachová: +420 776 565 180, ms@skupina.org
Jan Kieweg: +420 607 708 190, architektura@kruh.info

Prostora_06_A5_Laborator

The exhibition Find Two Fakes showcases the collection of graphic designer Petr Babák and will end soon—on Friday, November 1. Haven’t yet visited this showcase full of striking artworks displayed alongside unique collectibles? Now is the perfect time to stop by the Prostora Gallery at Blanická 9 in Prague-Vinohrady and view the exhibition.

This unique installation is inspired by the modern digital era, especially the scrolling experience on smartphone screens, and was developed in collaboration with the graphic studio Laboratoř, founded by Petr Babák. You can follow the works arranged along the gallery’s perimeter in a central line, highlighting the minimalist yet visually captivating concept of the exhibit.

September 12 – November 1, 2024
Wednesday–Friday, 2:00–5:30 pm

Prostora Gallery (1st floor)
Blanická 9, 120 00 Prague 2

To enter the gallery, ring at Skupina / Prostora.

Join a guided tour of the exhibition with Petr Babák and Marcela Steinbachová on Wednesday, October 9, at 6 p.m. in the Prostora Gallery. Want to learn behind-the-scenes details about the concept of Babák’s collection? Come to the guided tour. And maybe you’ll find the two fakes!

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Photo: Tomáš Souček

September 12 – October 25, 2024
Wednesday–Friday 2–5:30 p.m.

Prostora Gallery (1st floor)
Blanická 9, 120 00 Prague 2

For entry, ring the bell for Skupina / Prostora.

05_A5_komentovka

Find Two Fakes | Petr Babák

12/9 – 25/10 2024
Wednesday–Friday 2:00–5:30 PM

Weekend
Sat 28/9, Sun 29/9 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

Photo: Kateřina Fialová

Find Two Fakes is the name of a new exhibition at the Prostora Gallery, featuring contemporary graphic designer and educator Petr Babák. The opening will take place on Wednesday, September 11, at 6:00 PM.

In 2024, Prostora Gallery continues to present collections of contemporary artists. The new exhibition, the fifth in the series, will run from Thursday, September 12, 2024, until the end of October. It will showcase works from Petr Babák's collection, representing the contemporary art scene. The exhibition will open with a vernissage on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at 6:00 PM, featuring prominent artists. The black electro duo Body of Pain will perform at the event. The exhibition will also include guided tours.

Babák's collection includes a variety of paintings, photographs, and spatial artifacts by legendary artists such as Dalibor Chatrný, Jiří Valoch, Václav Stratil, and Stano Filko, as well as works by Ján Mančuška and photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková. The collection also features works from the middle generation, such as Václav Jirásek, Michal Cihlář, Markéta Othová, and Jiří Thýn, as well as pieces from emerging artists like Eva Maceková, Julius Reichel, Pavla Malinová, Magdaléna Rutová, and Vojtěch Veškrna. Babák also keeps an eye on the youngest generation across different professions, including illustrators, DJs, and photographers. The exhibition will feature works by Jakub Bachorík aka Don Chain aka DJ Venktovka, Eda Babák, and Viktorie Macánová.

And can you find the two fakes?
The collection is far from one-dimensional or monotonous; it spans various disciplines, including Babák's own field of graphic design, with works by Zdeněk Seydl, the art group Bratrstvo with Ivan Pinkava, Ondřej Chorý, Marek Pistora, or the team from the underground magazine Živel. The collection even includes two openly acknowledged fakes. Additionally, it features a "quirk"—a fascination with various fetishes. One of these is Ladislav Sutnar's orange bag.

Petr Babák comments: "This shopping bag, with many functional pockets in a typical orange color, was given to me by the glass artist and experimenter Václav Cigler during one of many visits to his Střešovice villa while working on his monograph. He presented it to me with the remark that, according to legend, it was Ladislav Sutnar's bag. Cigler was a student of the prominent artist and theorist Josef Kaplický in the glass studio at UMPRUM. I must admit, just the thought that the icon of my graphic adolescence, with the initials LS, used this somewhat provocative orange bag for shopping for bread rolls at a nearby shop was enough for it to become a favorite fetish in my already growing, chaotic, but passionate collection. I didn't bother to verify if it was a legend or fact, nor did I consider washing or restoring the bag. No way. Everything is original." - P.B.

Petr Babák is a renowned Czech graphic designer, university professor, and publicist. He is the founder of the graphic studio Laboratory (www.laboratory.cz), a professor at UMPRUM, and the author of the manifesto of the Graphic Design and New Media Studio, which he leads at UMPRUM. Babák has created many significant graphic outputs (https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Babák). His studio has produced publications for contemporary artists such as Jiří Kovanda, Ján Mančuška, Kateřina Šedá, and Federico Díaz.

"Thanks to his profession, Petr Babák is literally surrounded by artists. His house outside Prague, which I had the chance to visit, is thoughtfully complemented by works of contemporary artists, where every piece has its place and harmonizes with the interiors," says Marcela Steinbachová, founder of Prostora Gallery.

Petr Babák enjoys combining creation processes with chance or mistakes. He also likes collaborating with the sun, allowing it to complete graphic work (e.g., offset covers of the mmcité corporate catalog). He co-authored (with Tomáš Machek) the first comprehensive city visual identity for Zlín, for which he received the National Design Award in 1995. He has created logos and visual identities for many significant institutions, including the Moravian Gallery in Brno, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the National Film Archive, and the National Library of Technology, for which he won the Czech Grand Design Award as the Grand Designer of 2009. In 2020, UMPRUM and the Moravian Gallery in Brno published a comprehensive book (edited by Lukáš Kijonka) about Babák's studio, affectionately known as "MONSTRUM" due to its size (5.5 kg, 19 cm spine). The spines of this book were designed by contemporary artists and theorists such as Černický, Švejdík, Malinová, Kintera, Nanoru, Kvíčala, Valoušek, Pospiszyl, and Reichel. In 2024, UMPRUM also published "Petr Babák: True Texts" (1997-2023), summarizing Babák's publishing work over the past 25 years. He is the curator of the Prague Art Book Fair, organized annually by GHMP, and a member of several expert committees. Babák is an active Instagram user (https://www.instagram.com/petr_babak/), where he playfully documents his life.

Find Two Fakes, Petr Babák
Vernissage: Wednesday, September 11, 6:00 PM
Exhibition: September 12 – end of October 2024

Event on Facebook
IG: @prostora_galerie

The opening on September 11 will include a performance by the Prague minimal synth duo Body of Pain (Tereza Ovčačíková and Jan Vytiska).

Opening Hours
Wednesday–Friday: 2:00–5:30 PM
Saturday: 2:00–5:30 PM by appointment
(Closed on public holidays)
Entrance is voluntary. More info at www.prostora.org.

Organized by: Prostora, Marcela Steinbachová
Project supported by: Financial support from the City of Prague, State Cultural Fund of the Czech Republic
Media partners: Archizoom, ArtMap, Cultural Magazine Uni, Prague Moon

Media contact:
Marcela Steinbachová, +420 776 565 180, ms@skupina.org
Jan Kieweg, +420 607 708 190, architektura@kruh.info

Prostora is a new non-profit project led by architect Marcela Steinbachová, the founder of the Skupina Studio, Kruh Association, and the Director of its activities (its lecture series on architecture, the Architecture Day festival, and the Film and Architecture festival, as well as publication releases). Prostora is located on the 1st floor above Náměstí Míru Square, in the former telephone exchange building at Blanická Street 9. The gallery's name is derived from the more commonly used synonym for the word 'space,' but it defines a more delimited, bounded environment, in this case, an exhibition space.

"The space came about by chance. I have acquired an incredible industrial space in the city centre and we are dedicating a part of it to culture. The character of the interior is left over from the building's previous use as a telephone switchboard. The imperfections of the space is taken as an advantage. Cracked uneven floors, plastered openings, holes and splinters are part of the body of the gallery; its asset. The curatorial cycle will present important contemporary Czech artists in a different way and should show the breadth of these personalities."- Marcela Steinbach explains the space will be used for gallery purposes.