This year, the spring block of exhibitions at the Brno House of Arts (‘Dům umění’) deals with the themes of home and house from various angles. After the exhibitions Vector of Poverty (from 19 March to 25 May) and Insecure Homes (from 9 April to 10 August), the next contribution is the exhibition Viscera Domus by Helena Lukášová and Michal Palaščak, which will open on 10 June and close on 10 August.
Visitors to the Jaroslav Král Gallery at the House of Arts will be introduced to a spatial dialogue between the two artists, inspired by the new building of the Department of Art Education at Masaryk University, which was designed by Palaščak. Through this dialogue, Lukášová and Palaščak present architecture not as purely utilitarian, but as a unique organism living in symbiosis with those who use it.
Through an artistic approach, the Viscera Domus exhibition aims at highlighting the dimension of organic coexistence with man, claiming that architecture can be understood as an entity capable of interaction with humans, and possesses both its own face and memory at the same time. “Helena Lukášová and Michal Palaščak have decided to show the audience one house in a way as if we were looking into an anatomical atlas of architecture,” says curator Rostislav Koryčánek.
The exhibition itself contains visualisations from the recent extension of the Department of Art Education, citing both its technological advancement and the use of recycled materials, as well as the way it blends with the surrounding historic buildings as a welcome and harmonious addition to the city’s landscape.
In addition to the designs, the exhibition will also feature works by Helena Lukášová, freely interpreting Palaščak’s architecture. Lukášová models this in a 3D virtual space, creating organic shapes and underlining the symbolism of the invisible life of houses.
This architectural organism also grows outside the gallery space, as the exhibition includes
installations extending onto the adjoining balcony. What takes place inside the gallery will thus be reflected on the outside and change the material arrangement of the building. The goal here is to create a feeling of “strangeness” before the visitor even sets foot inside of the building, thus attracting the attention of those who pass by the House of Art through the park.
The vernissage of the exhibition will take place on Tuesday, 10 June, 2025 at 6 pm, with the participation of both artists and curator Rostislav Koryčánek. Tom Holič will perform as a musical guest.
