+ Archive
CECOSLOVACCHIA › 28/6–28/9/2025
Participating artists: Eva Koťátková (CZ), Dominik Lang (CZ), Marcela Steinbachová & Karolína Vránková (CZ), Vojtěch Fröhlich (CZ), Tomáš Džadoň (SK)
Curator: Vojtěch Novák
Exhibition architecture: Vojtěch Novák & Ondřej Uherek
Graphic design: Petr Kudláček
La Biennale d'Arte di Venezia is an international exhibition of contemporary art that has been held biennially in Venice since 1895. Outside of the central, international exhibition, individual nations produce their own shows, known as pavilions, as their national representation. One such pavilion, built for the presentations of the Czechoslovak Republic, bears the inscription CECOSLOVACCHIA, and will celebrate its centennial this year.
The CECOSLOVACCHIA exhibition aims to “transplant” the Czech and Slovak Pavilion from Venice to the Czech Republic, making it accessible to local audiences. This dislocation opens up possibilities to consider the pavilion in an entirely new context, free from its traditional representational role. As a result, it transforms into the object of study itself, shifting the focus from individual artworks to the exploration and contemplation of the exhibition as a whole. The exhibition not only explores the pavilion’s past and present but also focuses on the cultural and political developments in both countries, which are symbolically connected through the Venice pavilion following the division of Czechoslovakia. Throughout the exhibition, in collaboration with Divadlo 29, the pavilion will aim to produce and support Slovak projects in the performing arts.
In conjunction with the exhibition, we will also focus on revitalising the only surviving pavilion from what was, in 1931, the largest cultural event ever to take place in Pardubice – the National Exhibition of Physical Education and Sport. After the expo was over, the structure was relocated to the nearby park of the Lázně Bohdaneč, where it is currently languishing in a state of disrepair. The goal of the project is to transform this historical structure into a space for exhibitions featuring young artists. Once the CECOSLOVACCHIA exhibition concludes, the exhibition architecture will be repurposed and used for the renovation of the Bohdaneč pavilion.
Partner: Galérie mesta Bratislavy
We thank for the financial support: Ministerstvo kultury ČR, Státní fond kultury, Statutární město Pardubice
Media partners: Artalk.cz, Artikl, Artmap, Artyčok.tv, FlashArt, Art+Antiques
Photos from the exhibition
Accompanying program
+ Accompanying program
Opening of the exhibition CECOSLOVACCHIA
› Sat 28/6/2025 15:00
We cordially invite you to the opening of the exhibition CECOSLOVACCHIA.
CecoslovacchiaLive ➛ Michal Heriban: I am placebo (SK)
› Sun 29/6/2025 19:00
An extraordinary solo dance performance by the renowned Slovak dancer, choreographer, and visual artist Michal Heriban, set within the installation space at the Gallery of the City of Pardubice.
Anilab's Grand Summer Premiere & Concert the strýc
› Fri 25/7/2025 17:00
A concert by the Pardubice-based band the strýc and the unveiling of the animated music video for the song Svatozář, created by the aniLAB team.
Film Thursday: 2040 (2019)
› Thu 28/8/2025 20:30
With summer, we are once again opening our gallery's summer cinema on the steps of the amphitheatre.
Dagmar Voňková • Adela Mede (SK/HU)
› Wed 3/9/2025 20:00
The concert of the first lady of Czech songwriting, Dagmar Voňková, and the acclaimed musician Adela Mede, with an enchanting combination of folklore, minimalism, and powerful lyrics.
CecoslovacchiaLive ➛ Arpád Soltész: Strategie přežití (Survival Strategy) (SK)
› Tue 9/9/2025 19:00
A talk with Slovak investigative journalist and writer Arpád Soltész, whose raw novels are based on real events and intertwine the world of organized crime with politics. They expose the dark layers of Slovak society and hold up a mirror to contemporary reality.
Together, we will focus on the current developments on the Slovak political scene as well as other topics resonating in the public sphere.
The talk is part of the summer series CecoslovacchiaLive, which presents contemporary Slovak artists at Divadlo 29 & GAMPA.
Film Thursday: Urban Disobedience Toolkit (2025)
› Thu 11/9/2025 20:30
With summer, we are once again opening our gallery's summer cinema on the steps of the amphitheatre.
CecoslovacchiaLive ➛ PiNKBUS Slovak and No Other (SK)
› Sun 14/9/2025 19:00
An explosive mix of urban queer cabaret and Slovak folklore directed by choreographer Martin Talaga. A message about a unified Slovak culture. PiNKBUS sends its heartfelt greetings to the forests and mountains!
We belong to Slovak culture. We ARE Slovak culture. Whether MADAM Minister likes it or not. Let’s change traditions together! It’s time for a “veselica” (celebration), because Slovak culture is purely Slovak and no other. At a time when “traditional values,” folklore, and the countryside are praised on one side, and queer people and urban culture stand on the other, we seek overlap. Understanding. Tension and reconciliation. And what could connect it better than music? From the Tatras to the Danube, from Páslo dievča pávy to Eugen Suchoň and Marika Gombitová.
Dernissage of the exhibition CECOSLOVACCHIA
› Sun 28/9/2025 15:00
We cordially invite you to GAMPA to the dernissage of the exhibition Cecoslovacchia.
