Create your own cabinet of curiosities and share it with Kunsthalle Praha

Why are we specifically interested in cabinets of curiosities?

Everything began with the American artist Mark Dion. This combined artist and archaeologist collected old light switches, bulbs, batteries, and a number of other electrical parts from the technologically-rich history of the former Zenger Electrical Substations, which today is the home of Kunsthalle Praha.

Dion subsequently supplemented the individual items from the original technical building with new, even seemingly unrelated objects, and then arranged them in one monumental installation – his Cabinet of Electrical Curiosities. In this way, he tells the fascinating story of the building itself, from the time it was constructed in the 1930s to its current transformation into a cultural space. Dion’s Cabinet was the very first permanent site-specific installation at Kunsthalle Praha.

One of the aims of our challenge is to draw attention to the various reasons and incentives for creating a cabinet and collecting an assortment of various items. We believe that even what are seemingly the most ordinary items conceal interesting stories. If we put them together, arrange them and form compositions, we create space for new meanings and reciprocal perception.

We display Mark Dion’s creative work within the context of other artists who create otherwise distinctive series and sequences of objects. We are interested in discovering what different tangible and intangible items mean to each of us. Additionally, we bring to the table real questions about how many things we actually need for life, what their lifespan is, who made them or owned them, and what leads us to preserve them.

What is the challenge and how can i participate?

This challenge is for everyone. Young and old alike, parents and children, students, or in short any one who is curious and creative. Do you enjoy collecting things? Looking for them? Sorting them or creating entirely new objects? If so, try and compile your own collection or cabinet. You can make objects, installations or videos, or you can even, for instance, collect intangible items such as photos in your computer, or even thoughts and dreams.

Don’t forget to document your work in photos, which you can send by email to learning@kunsthallepraha.org. Ideally, please use JPG, TIFF, PDF, or MP4 format.

What mustn’t i miss?

The deadline for sending your files electronically is Monday, 31 January 2022. An expert panel will select the most interesting collections and approaches, which we will then publish on our social networks and the Kunsthalle Praha website. Subsequently, we, and the curators, will meet with the selected artists in person next to Mark Dion’s cabinet.

Is there anything else i need to know?

Together with your photos, include a description of your concept and the approach you used. Three to five sentences are sufficient. Don’t forget to include the title of your work, your full name and a contact phone number and email address. That’s all.

Please send the photographs and videos of your creations to: learning@kunsthallepraha.org by no later than Monday, 31 January 2022