KINETISMUS: 100 Years of Electricity in Art

Electricity and the various technologies based on it have been transforming artistic practice for more than a hundred years now. The former function of Kunsthalle Praha's building, Zenger Electrical Substation, inspired the theme of our inaugural exhibition.

Kinetismus: 100 Years of Electricity in Art
22/2 – 29/8 2022

Concept & Curator: Peter Weibel
Co-curator: Christelle Havranek
Scientific Associate: Lívia Nolasco-Rózsás
Catalogue & Exhibition Graphic Design: Studio Najbrt

The scope of Kinetismus: 100 Years of Electricity in Art spans the early artistic use of motorised movement and artificial light through to advanced computational models, information technology, and digital art. Exploring how electricity has transformed artistic practice from the start of the 20th century to the present day, four key areas are presented: cinematography, kinetic art, cybernetic art, and computer art.

The exhibition will feature over ninety works of art by several generations of artists from all over the world, including independent figures and members of emblematic groups such as Bauhaus, GRAV, Dvizhenie, ZERO, and teamLab. The show will include the work of pioneers such as Mary Ellen Bute, Zdeněk Pešánek, László Moholy-Nagy and Marcel Duchamp; established names such as Julio Le Parc, Yaacov Agam, Woody and Steina Vašulka, François Morellet, Adéla Matasová, William Kentridge; and representatives from younger generations such as Refik Anadol, Žilvinas Kempinas, Shilpa Gupta, Olafur Eliasson, Michael Bielický & Kamila B. Richter.

The exhibition is also a nod to Czech avant-garde artist and pioneer of kinetic art Zdeněk Pešánek who created a series of allegorical kinetic light sculptures titled 100 Years of Electricity for the façade of the Zenger substation in 1936. The exhibition title also refers to his seminal book Kinetismus which discusses the possibilities offered by the integration of motorised movement and artificial light in art.

Folowing Pešánek’s legacy, this project offers a new model of the evolution of the visual arts in which cinematography leads to kinetic art, followed by cybernetic and computer art, thus revealing the link between moving machines and moving images: electricity.

The exhibition has been conceived by guest curator Peter Weibel (theoretician, artist and director of the ZKM l Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany), alongside co-curators Christelle Havranek (Chief curator at Kunsthalle Praha) and Lívia Nolasco-Rózsás (scientific associate and curator) and has benefited from important loans from private lenders and major institutions including ZKM (Germany), Tate (UK) and Centre Pompidou (France).

A richly illustrated catalogue published by Hatje Cantz and Kunsthalle Praha features contributions by the curatorial team and many other relevant authors, and a timeline tracing the milestones of technological, theoretical, and artistic developments brought about by electricity from the 1920s to the present day. 

The exhibition will feature interactive activities designed for visitors of all ages including a nine-metre Art Wall offering the unique experience of creating one’s own work. The Art Wall is dedicated to ‘light graffiti’, which thanks to an interactive console will allow drawing with light and creating large-format works. Moreover, children together with adults can enjoy the playful space of Kidshalle and unleash their creative potential. There will be a digital guide introduced, offering two thematic routes through the exhibition that highlight different categories and artworks.

Multimedia

Official Trailer

Short documentary

Digital Guide for Kinetismus

A conversation with Peter Wiebel (ZKM)

List of Artists

Yaacov Agam
Refik Anadol
Lubomír Beneš
Michael Bielický
Christian Boltanski
Vladimir Bonačić
László Zsolt Bordos
Jonathan Borofsky
Martha Boto
Robert Breer
Angela Bulloch
Pol Bury
Mary Ellen Bute
Nino Calos
Jim Campbell

Tony Conrad
Carlos Cruz-Diez 
Gabriele Devecchi 
Milan Dobeš
Karel Dodal 
Irena Dodalová 
Marcel Duchamp
Viking Eggeling
Olafur Eliasson 
Cerith Wyn Evans
Naum Gabo
Shilpa Gupta
Milan Guštar
Brion Gysin 
Angelika Huber

Ryoji Ikeda 
Francisco Infante-Arana
Žilvinas Kempinas
William Kentridge
György Kepes
Krištof Kintera
Gyula Kosice
Piotr Kowalski
Brigitte Kowanz
Ted Kraynik
Christina Kubisch
Vollrad Kutscher
Bertrand Lavier
Carolin Liebl 
Len Lye

Heinz Mack
Frank Joseph Malina
Adéla Matasová
Christian Megert
Laurent Mignonneau 
Haroon Mirza 
László Moholy-Nagy
François Morellet 
Mihovil Pansini 
Julio Le Parc 
Gordon Pask
Andrzej Pawłowski
Zdeněk Pešánek 
Otto Piene
Marko Pogačnik

Random International
Man Ray
Hans Richter
Kamila B. Richter
Anna Ridler
Walter Ruttmann 
Jan Ságl
Konrad Balder Schäuffelen
Nikolas Schmid Pfähler 
Nicolas Schöffer
Hans Schork
Lillian F. Schwartz
Miloš Šejn
Paul J. Sharits
Jeffrey Shaw 

Karl Sims
Christa Sommerer
Takis
teamLab
Franciszka Themerson
Stefan Themerson 
Jean Tinguely
Wen-Ying Tsai
Steina Vašulka
Woody Vašulka
Otakar Vávra
Xavier Veilhan
Kateřina Vincourová
Peter Vogel
Peter Weibel

List of Lenders

Almine Rech
Atelier Prof. Heinz Mack
BERG Contemporary
BFI National Archive
Michael Bielický & Kamila B. Richter
British Pathé
Jim Campbell
Center for Visual Music
Centre Pompidou
Collection of Márton Orosz
Collection of Stanford University

Cruz-Diez Art Foundation
evn sammlung
FRAC Bourgogne
Galerie Denise René
Galerie Klatovy / Klenová
Hrvatski film savez
Perrotin
Diehl Collection
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery / Len Lye
Foundation Collection

Milan Guštar
Francisco Infante-Arana
Krištof Kintera
Andrea & Lev Kowalski
Christina Kubisch
Vollrad Kutscher
Karl Sims
Light Cone
LUX
Marek, Maciej, & Marcin Pawłowski

Milan Dobeš Museum
Moderna galerija + Muzej sodobne umetnosti
Metelkova
Národní filmový archiv Praha
Národní galerie Praha
Pace Gallery New York
Paul Pangaro
RCM Galerie
Refik Anadol Studio
Anna Ridler

Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau
Staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Kunstsammlungen Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Studio Brigitte Kowanz
Szépművészeti Múzeum Budapest
Takis Foundation
Tate
teamLab
The Film-Makers'

Cooperative
The Henry Ford
Kunsthalle Praha
Vašulka Kitchen Brno
Kateřina Vincourová
Kentridge Studio
Yaacov Agam Museum of Art
ZERO foundation
ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medien
Peter Weibel