Open-air GASK

Because of the pandemic restrictions, opportunities to see art ‘live’ in galleries were, until the spring of this year, very limited. Here at GASK, we thus considered ways of making art accessible to people who were denied the enjoyment of experiencing art first-hand. The result is Open-air GASK, a presentation of sculptures and installations by artists represented in the permanent exhibitions States of Mind / Beyond the Image and Avenue of Saints or whose works are featured in current or forthcoming exhibitions.

The project, which has been organised by GASK’s curators Richard Drury, Veronika Marešová, Adriana Primusová, and Vanda Skálová, presents ten artists, all of them major figures on the contemporary Czech art scene: Adéla Matasová (*1940), Jindřich Zeithamml (*1949), Jiří Středa (*1956), Martina Hozová (*1971), Veronika Šrek Bromová (*1966), Lukáš Rittstein (*1973), Dagmar Šubrtová (*1973), Jan Kovářík (*1980), Martin Kocourek (*1976) and Kryštof Hošek (*1984). Their works are situated at selected locations around the GASK gardens.

The project’s key focus is on creating a dialogue between the artworks’ symbolic message and the panoramic setting of the GASK gardens. Against the backdrop of the changing natural scenery, the artworks explore the ‘eternal questions’ of identity and of the problematic relationship between civilisation and nature in the context of this location’s profound cultural and spiritual memory. While the conceptual ‘partner’ of the sculpture park at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark is an inspiring view through to the sea, at GASK the inspiration comes from the architectural landmarks of the Jesuit College and the Church of St Barbara, and also from the view of Kutná Hora’s historical town centre that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.

Open-air GASK is envisioned as a long-term project through which the gardens will be gradually transformed into a stimulating ‘art zone’ with close ties to the gallery’s exhibition schedule. In the interest of creating a conceptual connection between GASK’s ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’, we removed the glass information panels located on the site of the Baroque lime kiln behind the south-western part of the Jesuit college. With the addition of benches, the area freed up in this way will offer an attractive place for visitors to relax, while also serving as a stage for distinctive works of art capable of communicating with their historical setting.

The first art object to be installed in this important location is Veronika Šrek Bromová’s Planet – a metal sphere with soil-filled pockets that act like flowerpots. Since the installation of this work brought to a close the project’s spring season, the local public was invited to take part in a kind of ‘happening’ in which they were able to engage in a dialogue about this project in the gallery gardens. We invite local residents to remember Planet on their strolls through town and to help it grow and flower with a little bit of attention and a few bottles of water. Our goal is for the presence of this work on the site of the lime kiln to communicate with the local setting and the local community, thus highlighting the theme of public art while accentuating the work’s environmental message of caring for the environment in which we live.

The sculptures and installations displayed at Open-air GASK will change on an ongoing basis, thus providing visitors with new opportunities to enjoy our gardens as a ‘harbour of tranquillity and learning’. At the same time, we’re sure that the works will invite visitors to come inside and experience our diverse programme of exhibitions and other activities!

In our photo gallery, you can view:

Jiří Středa – WHAT WE KNOW

Dagmar Šubrtová – DRY YOUNG TREE and THE ONE WHO WAS FORGOTTEN

Lukáš Rittstein – BIRD OF PARADISE

Jindřich Zeithamml – TO THE THREE

Martina Hozová – PROFILES

Jan Kovářík – OF-02

Veronika Šrek Bromová – PLANET

Kryštof Hošek – THERE IS MORE

Martin Kocourek – LILY

Adéla Matasová – RAIN WALL

You can also view the GASK gardens in this VIDEO.

The Open-air GASK project received financial support from the Town of Kutná Hora.