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Focused on the contemporary Czech art scene seen within the global context.

 

About the Gallery

The City Gallery Pardubice, also known as GAMPA, was established in 2012. Our aim is to bring contemporary art closer to the general public and to create a platform for the discussion of pressing artistic and societal topics. We offer an inspiring, experiential, and relaxing space open to all. We are a non-profit and non-acquisitional institution. In other words, we do not create art collections of the kind found in museums, and we do not own or sell the artworks. 

From 2012 to 2023, our home was a renovated Baroque granary, later used as a horse barn, located next to Pardubice Castle in the historic centre of the city. The building is owned by the state and administered by the National Heritage Institute. These highly specific premises continually presented new challenges as to how we present contemporary art. In 2023, however, we relocated to the grounds of the Automatic Mills, where a unique new building was erected on the the site of the old packed-flour warehouse. It became the new home of our gallery, as well as an educational centre known as the Sphere. This change provides us not only with larger exhibition spaces, but also offers us additional space for a teaching studio, a workshop space, storage space, and two residency studios.

Educational activities are an integral component of the gallery’s operation. We create thematic programmes for each exhibition. We organise educational activities for kindergartens, elementary schools, and high schools. Regular activities also include creative workshops for the general public: Wednesdays are for parents with toddlers; Fridays are for senior citizens; and Sundays for the entire family. The programmes are complemented by film screenings, guided tours, lectures and debates, as well as workshops, happenings, and performances by the exhibiting artists and other guests. We also participate in the AniLab project, which focuses on education in the field of animated and experimental film.

Together with Divadlo 29 (Theatre 29), we form the Centre for Open Culture, an organisation funded by the City of Pardubice. Our joint vision is to present and support contemporary art in the fields of visual arts, performing arts, and literature. We aim for the development of cultural and artistic diversity in the city and region. Pardubice is easily accessible by train from virtually anywhere, so don’t hesitate to visit us. You won’t regret it.

 

“We believe that art is not just a decoration. We believe that in the context of today’s society, art has the capacity to be a positive influence, to make things change and set them in motion. Our aim is to bring courageous art projects to Pardubice, to present crucial figures in the region within a national and international context, and to aid in the general cultivation of our cultural climate through the use of various forms of contemporary artistic expression.”

Šárka Zahálková

programme director of the gallery

The Exhibition Programme

We focus on the presentation of Czech contemporary art in the context of developments around the world. We believe that art can instigate positive change and that it has the ability to communicate pressing societal, political, ecological, and other issues related to our present situation. We focus on installations from a wide spectrum of artistic disciplines, from painting, sculpture, and prints through site-specific projects all the way to audiovisual installations and new media works.

Instead of exhibiting individual artefacts, we try to create integrated environments. We emphasise open dialogue and mutual understanding; the projects always emerge from a sensitive discussion among the curator(s) and the participating artist(s), as well as the larger gallery collective. We work in year-long thematic exhibition cycles, within which the individual projects develop and articulate a specific theme from various perspectives and positions.


“Our lives are heavily influenced by the constant stream of information. Truth currently appears to be the most relative of all. We live without faith, but, faced with this maelstrom of abstract data and infinite sources, we are often left no other option but to blindly believe in their veracity. What can we believe, and when? Is it even possible to be objective? Does the use of artificial intelligence and our belief in it not present a kind of modern magic? What are we to do if a large part of the information that reaches us cannot be empirically verified?”


 

We also have a long-standing interest in art in public space. We initiate, facilitate, and support projects of contemporary visual and live art that qualitatively enrich public space both physically and metaphorically. Through these projects, we create a space for unusual perspectives on reality, and we help to create a platform for permanent and conscious work with art in public spaces. We work in collaboration with the Office of the Main Architect and the Cultural Department at the Pardubice City Hall, under the auspices of the deputy mayor for culture. We are also working with these offices to fulfil the approved Strategy for Culture and Creativity in Pardubice. Another valuable partner in securing our activities, installations, and public space interventions is the Offcity association, a Pardubice platform focused on architecture, public space, and art.

The Artistic Board

The gallery’s artistic development is regularly discussed with its advisory body, the Artistic Board, which consists of:

Jakub Adamec
curator at the Plato Gallery in Ostrava

Martina Johnová
curator at the Hraničář Gallery in Ústí nad Labem

Šárka Svobodová
Brno-based art and architecture theorist and curator at the 4AM Forum for Architecture and Media

Lucie Váchová
art theorist, pedagogue, and curator

Radek Wohlmuth
independent curator, journalist, and art critic

Šárka Zahalková
GAMPA programme director

Zdeněk Závodný
COC executive director and programme director of Divadlo 29

You can find us in the area of the Automatic Mills.

+ Contact

Contact

Automatické mlýny 1963 530 03, Pardubice

Opening hours Tue–Sun 11:00–19:00 

Entrance fee 10 CZK / 30 CZK / 100 CZK 
(according to your choice)

Telephone (recepcion desk) +420 730 524 909

Telephone (Šárka Zahálková) +420 732 436 722

 

Managed by

Centre for Open culture Billing address
Address: Svaté Anežky České 29 530 02 Pardubice
VAT: 06495036
VAT ID: CZ06495036

IBAN: CZ7501000001155862410217
BIC/SWIFT: KOMBCZPP

CEO
T: +420 777 884 474

Partners

Founder

Statutární město Pardubice Pernštýnské náměstí 1, 530 03 Pardubice
T: +420 466 859 111

Follow us up

Gallery Team

+ People

MgA. Šárka Zahálková

MgA. Šárka Zahálková

programme director
+420 732 436 722

Šárka has a long-standing interest in art as a tool of social change and art in public space. She co-founded and leads the Offcity association, which takes part in international discourse on art in public spaces. She studied gallery management and fine arts (animated film), and took the one-year Commissioning and Curating Contemporary Public Art course at Valand Academy, University of Gothenburg in Sweden. She travelled to New York City on a Fulbright-Masaryk scholarship for non-profit organisations and has taken part in several other residency projects, both for artists and curators or managers. She began her doctoral studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in October 2019. She is a member of Spolek Skutek.

Bc. Nikola Březinová

Bc. Nikola Březinová

tutor and gallery pedagogue
+420 608 209 897

Her programmes focus on various age groups, from pre-school to pensioners. She has rich experience from both galleries and other environments. She co-founded the nisa art platform, which focuses on mediating art to the general public and providing extracurricular art education to children.

MgA. Vojtěch Novák

MgA. Vojtěch Novák

production and curatorial cooperation
+420 728 754 547

Vojtěch is a multidisciplinary artist, independent curator, and arts-based researcher in Swiss SARN - who graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague. Studied at the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, AVU in Prague, and ZHdK in Zürich. Participated in exhibition formats such as documenta 14 in Kassel, Manifesta 11. Presented his works on an international level, being awarded multiple artist-in-residence programs and stipends abroad. He is a finalist of the Jan Naaijkens Prize. Initiated the collective educational framework ABV – Studio without pedagogue, and curatorial platform PGS focusing on offsite exhibitions.

Anežka Koukolová

Anežka Koukolová

gallery operations coordinator
+420 777 922 909

She studied interior design at the High School of Applied Arts in Ústí nad Orlicí. Currently, she is involved in graphic design, animation and other interdisciplinary art projects. From 2020, among other things, she organizes her own public events spreading awareness about ecological issues.

MgA. Ondřej Uherek

MgA. Ondřej Uherek

technical production
+420 730 176 604
Dorota Václavíková

Dorota Václavíková

production and curatorial cooperation

 

Dorota studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, studio of New Media I. In 2018 she founded and initiated the nomadic festival Trať, where she has worked as the main organizer and for the past two years as a curator. She is also a lecturer of animation courses for children (aniLAB) within the Centre for Open Culture.

MgA. Elena Pecenova

MgA. Elena Pecenova

PR cooperation

 

Elena graduated of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, specializing in performance art and text. In 2019, she won the Special Jury Prize in the František Halas Literary Competition and also won the prize in the Slovak-Czech competition Básne SK/CZ; In 2020-2021, she was the editor-in-chief of the Digital Curatorial Platform for Contemporary Poetry – Psí Víno. She participated in the production of exhibitions and graphic materials for the National Museum in Prague and the Strahov Picture Gallery.

BcA. Marie Sieberová

BcA. Marie Sieberová

photographer

 

Marie is freelance photo/video documentary filmmaker and graphic designer. Preferring the non-profit sector, including non-commercial uses of photography, in which she respects the authenticity and essence of what she documents. She started working with GAMPA after graduating from FAMU – Department of Photography.

Mgr. Josef Čevora

Mgr. Josef Čevora

graphic designer

The creator of GAMPA’s visual identity. Co-founder and member of the Mixage architectural and graphic studio and the Offcity and Architects in Schools associations. He has authored the cover page of the architecture magazine ERA21 since 2018.

MgA. Tereza Drábková

MgA. Tereza Drábková

graphic designer

 

 

Dominik Jílek

Dominik Jílek

technical cooperation
Jakub Štrba

Jakub Štrba

technical cooperation

We believe art can be an impulse for positive change in society.