Spaces of Desire: Is Architecture Sexy?
9. 8. 2016Ladislav Zikmund Lender, Dan Merta, Filip Šenk
Jaroslav Fragner Gallery
“Architecture cannot satisfy your wildest fantasies, but it may exceed the limits set by them.”
Bernard Tschum
“Only woman’s mood swings and ambitions are liable for the murder of material because an ornament in the woman’s service will live forever. (…) However, woman’s ornament virtually corresponds with savage’s ornament as it has an erotic meaning.”
Adolf Loos
The exhibition presents, questions and interprets relations of sexuality, the construction of sexual and gender identities, architectonic space and architectonic production using modernistic and contemporary materials. The exhibition examines how gender roles, and sexual relations and stereotypes, in architecture materialize. The exhibition uses the story of 20th century architecture to illustrate how various sexualities and gender roles shaped architecture, space and the process of architectonic production, and how, vice versa, architecture and urbanism affect gender stereotypes in our society. Using varied examples of historical and contemporary architecture, curators illustrate how stereotypes projected into roles of men and women as well as heterosexuals and non-heterosexuals were created, printed and made present in specific spaces, and the way architects counted on visibility of human physicality. The intent of the exhibition is based on the conviction that sexual identification and sexual practice takes place in architectonic space. Stereotypes and a historical tradition of a patriarchal order had an extensive influence on creating male architect’s identity and his production as well as female architects and their production. Both in the 20th century and nowadays, we can see unintentional and intentional effort to vindicate the pattern and legitimize it on the one hand, and to violate, deconstruct and overcome it on the other hand. When using words is not enough the authors are helped by contemporary artists' reflection of related topics.
architects/
Jan Kaplický
Future Systems
Adolf Loos
Jean Nouvel
Norman Foster
Zaha Hadid
Oscar Niemeyer
Philip Johnson
Jan Kotěra
Hana Kučerová-Záveská
Coop Himmelb(l)au
Archigram
Václav Aulický
Eva Jiřičná
Chalupa architekti
Martin Gsandtner
Mjölk architekti
Atelier SAD
Kisho Kurokawa Architects
HŠH
Otto Wagner
Hans Hollein
Věra Machoninová
Karel Hubáček
Otakar Binar
Gian Carlo Maroni
artists/
Veronika Bromová
Andrea Fraser
Stano Filko
Pavel Karous
Lenka Klodová
Ilona Németh
Kateřina Vincourová
Haus-Rucker-Co
Jean de Ardoise
Jan Zrzavý