The Emblem Displays
The Emblem Displays are comprised of a curated series of works exhibited in the hotel that are present for two to three months at a time. As a way to battle stagnation, the displays allow for fluidity, and the artworks circulate, switch places and change entirely over time. Thus, The Emblem becomes a unique structure for displaying as well as blending art works into an inhabited private and public situation. The nature of a hotel as an environment enables the meeting of works of local artists with those from abroad in a direct way. Artworks are present in private guest rooms and the “living spaces” open to public for artist talks and discussions related to each display as well as The Emblem’s program of events.
The launching of The Emblem Displays on June 11th, 2016, presents artworks from David Krňanský, Johana Pošová, and Jimena Mendoza – three artists that are active both on the local and international art scenes. The works have been set in the private rooms and public spaces of The Emblem.
David Krňanský (b. 1987, lives in Prague) is currently studying at the Painting Studio of Jiří Černický and Marek Meduna at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague. His work includes painting, drawing, collage, and site-specific installations. Throughout his work he explores minimalist motifs and repetition, which subtly hint at modernism yet aesthetically diverge and interact with forms in contemporary pop culture and music. Krňanský has most recently exhibited his works in the group shows Paintings in SVIT Gallery in Prague, B.H.G: Black Hole Generation in Leto Gallery in Warsaw, and Czech Painting of the 21st Century in 10 Images at Měsíc ve dne Gallery in České Budejovice. His most recent solo exhibitions include The Seven Handed Wizard in FUTURA in Prague, and an upcoming exhibition at Nevan Contempo in Prague.
Johana Pošová (b. 1985, lives in Prague) graduated from the Photography Studio of Aleksandra Vajd and Hynek Alt at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague. Throughout her work, which includes photography, photograms, sculpture, and textiles, she blurs the lines between photo or image and object, and re-contextualizes her works by cutting or manipulating the physical images. Nature and organic motifs are often present through her photography and hand-made objects, often creating a direct contrast or break from the tendency towards perfection or absolute forms. Her most recent exhibitions include Brother (with Barbora Fastrová) at Syntax in Lisbon, and the solo shows Migraine with an Aura at City Surfer in Prague and Wet Wet at Fait Gallery in Brno. She is participating in the exhibition Against Nature, a survey of emerging Czech artists in the National Gallery in Prague from 5 October 2016 to 15 January 2017.
Jimena Mendoza (b. 1979, based in Prague) recently graduated from the Intermedia Studio of Jiří David and Milan Salák at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague. Her work, which includes sculpture, collage, drawing, and site-specific installations, traces references from a range of sources. Her current projects search for East-European futurism and the relation between history and fiction. Her works somehow reside both in past and future, embodying the qualities of relics from ancient civilizations, while simultaneously evoking extra-terrestrial qualities. Recently she has exhibited her works in two solo exhibitions: Konstelovat at Kurimanzutto in Mexico City and The Notion of Distance (THREAT) at FUTURA in Prague, and the group exhibition Not As Far As It Seems at Villa P651 – The Běhal Fejér Institute in Miami Beach.
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Are is a non-profit art organization founded in 2015 and run by team of curators based in Prague and Brno. Are organizes research visits and educational events, curates and produces exhibitions, art projects, films and performances to take place locally and internationally. Are cooperates with and throughout academic, cultural and art institutions as well as independent initiatives.
The Emblem Hotel is a Lifestyle hotel that merges the past, present and future of the historic city into a home for travelers and a haven for locals. The hotel and its many ‘living spaces’ are dedicated to creating a community. The Emblem is a place for the likeminded from Prague and from abroad to explore, discover and discuss together, and it is redefining the way we travel entirely.
