Launching during one of London’s busiest weeks in the design calendar, a new exhibition courtesy of the London Czech Centre offers an architectural alternative to the capital’s packed schedule of September events. Opening on the 16th, ’Czech Houses’ unlocks the doors to some of the country’s best contemporary homes.
The exhibition, curated by Ondřej Beneš, Ján Stempel and Jan Jakub Tesař and inspired by their 2014 book of the same name, takes a look at the work of 33 local architects, presenting the huge breadth and diversity of contemporary design that has slowly been emerging across the Czech Republic since 1989. These houses range from stone and timber country retreats, to hyper-modern De Stijl-inspired cottages and Corten clad suburban pads.
Featuring architects such as OK PLAN, HŠH and 3+1, the variety of work exhibited depicts a country that has gone through significant political and social change over the years, and the exhibition captures the important role that architecture plays in expressing these fast paced developments. As the curators explain, ’in the period up until 1989, the building of family homes was suppressed; therefore the development of family homes, including their quality is a significant measure of the transformation that Czech society has undergone’.
’Czech Houses’ highlights the country as a place to watch as its contemporary architecture scene blossoms. The show will run from 16–25 September at 12 Star Gallery in London; respected Czech architectural theorist Adam Gebrian will be giving a talk on the opening night.
