Is it even possible to exhibit architecture? Can the information and emotions associated with experiencing architecture be sufficiently conveyed to the viewer through professional or literary texts, plans, sketches, photographs, physical and digital models, visualizations, films and documents, sound recordings, light installations, haptic samples of materials, social and economic analyses, graphs, statistics, virtual or augmented reality?

These questions are answered by prominent figures in the fields of architecture, urbanism and visual arts, together with curators, in the Automatic Mills complex, which is associated with both an iconic figure of Czech architecture and renowned contemporary artists. Architectural historian Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen described the effort to exhibit architecture as Sisyphean:

“The ambition to exhibit architecture always carries with it a paradox: how to exhibit something as large and complex as a building or a city, and how to communicate something as elusive as an architectural experience that takes place in space and time?”

Architecture is often called the mother of art and, in addition to its functionality, also has an ethical and aesthetic role. How can these basic functions be presented to the gallery visitor? It is not enough to describe only the technical structure; it is necessary to find ways to convey the essential experience of a given place or building. Only in this way can we present it in its fullness and in the context of its anchoring in the place and social ties. Does it make sense to exhibit architecture at all in an era characterized by an overload of information of very different quality? What are the main forms of exhibiting architecture? Strategies and themes in the field of architectural exhibitions change worldwide based on social needs, trends and fashion waves, which can be regularly observed in the curatorial concepts of the most important exhibition, the Venice Architecture Biennale, as well as other international institutions dedicated to the presentation of architecture.

From the 1990s until the economic crisis in 2008, the celebration of economic growth was still fading, and exhibitions were based primarily on iconic buildings or on the presentation of so-called starchitects. However, all the crises of the new millennium, which we now see cyclically coming or transforming into one long-term geopolitical-social-environmental crisis of a planetary scale with various territorial foci, are fundamentally reflected in the concept of exhibitions with the theme of architecture. A strong parallel can be seen here with the 1960s. At that time, many art institutions, philosophers, artists and architects discussed environmental and social issues raised by uncontrolled economic growth and the modernist approach after World War II using the medium of architectural exhibitions. For contemporary multimedia visual culture, the interweaving of the worlds of fine art, architecture and scenography, the mix of genres and media, the call for multi-sensory art and architecture in the position of conceptual installations, evoking a special atmosphere for the viewer's perception, is significant. Personal meetings and discussions, workshops, exhibitions, organized walks or festivals aimed at the general public and the popularization of architecture still play an irreplaceable role. We have strived for such multi-layeredness when preparing this exhibition (and the accompanying program).

The curatorial concept also incorporates objects from the transformed Automatic Mills complex into the exhibition. The buildings are presented as an exhibition artifact with historical and contemporary reflection. The public space is complemented by architectural and artistic interventions that engage in a dialogue with historical material and create new connections within the framework of visual communication.

Among the exhibiting authors is the Svatopluk Sládeček studio – Nicol Gale, on behalf of the Faculty of Arts and Architecture of the Technical University of Liberec. The presentation of the works will take place on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

organizers / Gočár Gallery, Faculty of Art and Architecture of the Technical University of Liberec, ARCHITECTURA

co-organizers / GAMPA, Automatic Mills Foundation

chief curator / Dan Merta

curator of the SILO section / Filip Šenk

Zbyněk Baladrán, Pavla Beranová & Martin Krupa, COLLARCH & Šebo Lichý Architects, DOXA, Jakub Fišer, Martin Gsandtner & Ondřej Pokoj, Jan Janecký, Matěj Kratochvíl, Jiří Kovanda, Jürgen Mayer H., MCA – Pavla Melková & Miroslav Cikán, Jaromír Novotný, JinJan – Jindřich Ráftl & Jan Tůma, Rintala Eggertsson Architects – Dagur Eggertsson & students of FUA TUL & ARCHIP Prague, Jan Stolín, SUNAKI – Toshikatsu Kiuchi & Taichi Sunayama, Jan Šépka, Jiří Vítek, Jan Vranovský, FA VUT Brno studio Svatopluk Sládeček – Nicol Gale

&

Jindřich Hegr, Stanislav Kolíbal, Vladimír Kopecký, František Kyncl, Kamil Lhoták, Jaroslav Paur, Vladimír Preclík

The exhibition was under the patronage of Mr. Roman Línek, Councilor of the Pardubice Region for Culture.

with the support of / Metrostav, Stora Enso, Zumtobel, VOIX Audio & Cinema, ARCHIP Prague, FA VUT in Brno