UMPRUM at Academiae Bienal 2018

Franzensfeste Museum
Via Brennero, 39045 Fortezza BZ, Italy

Marie Tučková and Eva Rybářová from the Studio of Photography and Vojtěch Rada and Matěj Bílek from the Studio of Sculpture are representing the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague at the prestigious display of art acedemies ACADEMIAE Bienal 2018 in Italy.

This summer there will be the second edition of the exhibition “ACADEMIAE – Biennale 2018” at the Franzensfeste Provincial Museum. At its centre are works by young artists from the leading art academies in both Europe and further afield, selected by their professors who are themselves established artists on the international scene. The Academy of Arts, Architecture nad Design in Prague represented the head of the Studio of Photography Aleksandra Vajd.

This edition of the biennial, ACADEMIAE 2018, is being curated by Christian Jankowski, himself an artist recognised for his conceptual and performance art. He is active internationally as a curator (Manifesta 2016, Zurich) and he teaches at the “Akademie der Bildenden Künste [Academy of Art and Design]” in Stuttgart.

Christian Jankowski is internationally known and appreciated for his “art performances” that involve ordinary people. The collaborative nature of this is a crucial aspect, because every participant – even unintentionally – contributes to the creation of the artwork. On the basis of this concept, it is the curator’s wish that the opening night of the event should feature a series of performances by young artists from the various academies participating in the biennial.

Inspired by the great philosopher Plato, Jankowski has given the title “Where Plato Taught” to this edition of the ACADEMIAE biennial.

In his words: “I want to make the Biennale a place where differing conceptions of teaching become art”. In this way he wishes to create an exhibition that will become a space for encounters between widely differing approaches and trends in the most recent contemporary artistic production, while at the same time analysing the potential of the latest training methods in the field of art.

The exhibition will be staged throughout the various rooms of the Franzensfeste fortress, where each Academy will have its own “pavilion”.

The exhibition will also be accompanied by an extensive catalogue that represents an additional tool for considering and investigating the role of art schools and the methods of artistic training. Interviews and statements will investigate the whys and wherefores of art and the role that it plays, its importance in this day and age and which model of thought it represents.

In parallel with the exhibition at Franzensfeste, on 4-5 July two important meetings/conversations will be held in collaboration with the Free University of Bolzano. These will feature some of the famous artists/professors of the academies that have been invited to the Biennale, and will be hosted by the Dean of the University’s Faculty for Design and Art, Professor Stephan Schmidt-Wulffen.

Invited Academies:

Akademie der bildenen Künste, Wien, AT

Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, Prague, CZ

École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, Lyon, FR

Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Stuttgart, DE
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, IL

NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milano, IT

Institute of Fine Art, Bergen, NO

Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw, PL

Faculdade de Belas-Artes da Universidade de Lisboa (FBAUL), PT

Rodchenko Art School, Moscow, RU

Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, SE

ECAL  École cantonale d’art, Lausanne, CH

Royal College of Art, London, UK

Dirty Art Department/Sandberg Institut, Amsterdam, NL

Prof. Jerszy Seymour, Saadane Afif   
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, TR