When Stanislav Kolíbal was born in 1925, construction had just begun on both the Trade Fair Palace in Prague and the Czechoslovak Pavilion in Venice. Almost a century later, all three remain enduring icons of national cultural identity. By transferring Kolíbal’s exhibition from the 2019 Venice Biennale (displayed in what is now the Czech and Slovak Pavilion) to the Small Hall of the Trade Fair Palace, the NGP welcomes visitors to get a fresh perspective on the artist’s immersive vision.

As the title of the present exhibition suggests, rather than an exact recreation, this is a reimagining that echoes from the enigmatic Italian city to the Czech capital. Former Uncertain Indicated – here restaged in its entirety in an interior space that replicates the volume of the Venetian pavilion – was specifically conceived in reaction to the building design, including new works inspired by its façade. Likewise, Kolíbal has reconceived the project in the Trade Fair Palace to respond to its new setting. The Small Hall is brought to life by vivid wall drawings based on the dimensions of the building; while one of Kolíbal’s constructivist sculptures from the 1990s, which takes the form of a building model, emphasises the vital link in the artist’s work between painting, drawing, sculpture, and architecture.

Place: Trade Fair Palace – Small Hall

National Gallery Prague — Trade Fair Palace