GALLERIES IN THE WINDOWS
Window Gallery is a new project of the Municipal Gallery Litomyšl, which arose from our need to present art in the public space of the city – naturally, unobtrusively and for free.
In the future, the gallery will be located on Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová Street, in a corner building with a facade facing Smetana Square. In the building where the doctor, writer and mayor of Litomyšl Dr. František Lašek used to live. It is here that a project is being created today that connects the history of the place with contemporary art, design and architecture.
THREE EMPTY SHOP WINDOWS
The gallery is based on three showcases on the facade of the house, which until recently served as product displays for Keralit. Today, they are empty – and therein lies their potential. At the request of František Lašek’s descendants, these shop windows were handed over to the town gallery.
However, the showcases are in no condition to house exhibitions – so we decided to breathe new life into them. Not by rebuilding them, but by sensitively rewriting their original function.
ARCHITECTURE AS A FRAME
We invited architects from Ateliér Mur studio to cooperate with us. And as it turned out, it was a great choice. Their architectural design, which works with a minimum of resources and yet remains strong, immediately appealed to us. The proposed architecture is not a dominant element in this design, but a silent frame – stepping back to let what will take place in the windows stand out. Each of the windows transforms into an autonomous exhibition space without in any way disturbing the character of the historic façade.
And it is this restraint that makes sense to us and supports our future curatorial intention.
THE YEAR THAT WAS NEEDED
We have been working on the project in the city gallery for over a year. We started with fundraising, continued with an architectural study, negotiations with the conservationists and the owners of the building. Each step has been lengthy, but very important.
And now, hopefully, we are slowly approaching the goal. We have all the necessary permits, the first two exhibition projects are ready and we have found a sponsor for the production of the new showcases – umdasch Story Design s.r.o.
JUST WALK BY AND STOP FOR A MOMENT
Window Gallery’s exhibition programme will focus on contemporary illustration, art, photography, design, architecture and technology. Our goal is to create exhibitions that are visually spare, timely and sensitively set in the window space.
We are close to the principle of shop windows – we would like a passer-by to come across our exhibition “by chance”, stop for a moment, let the exhibited object impress him or her and then move on.
The Window Gallery will be open 24 hours a day and free of charge. And perhaps that’s its greatest strength – it will be a natural part of the city and its everyday bustle. Just walk by and maybe stop for a moment.
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
What started as an idea is coming to fruition after a year of preparation. That’s why, together with friends of the gallery, we decided to organize the second edition of the Fashion for Gallery Vol. 2 charity fashion bazaar.
