Utente:Oaxacare/Sandbox

FUTURA Centre for Contemporary Art

Centre for Contemporary Art FUTURA is a non-governmental non-profit institution funded exclusively by public grant applications. It was established by Alberto di Stefano in 2003. In Czech Republic it operates two large exhibition spaces FUTURA and Karlin Studios and a residency program in Prague, a renaissance Castle in Trebesice, with a collection of Czech and international contemporary art and a residencz program in collaboration with Internacional Visegrad Fund and Art in General in New York. Director of Centre for Contemporary Art FUTURA is since 2011 Czech curator Michal Novotny.

FUTURA gallery is a three-floors space wit a total area of 1,000 m2 located in Prague s Smichov quarter. Works from numerous renowned and internationally respected artists from abroad as well as the Czech Republic have been presented here since 2003 in large collective and solo exhibitions. Amongst many others we presented for the first time in Czech Republic artists such as Lawrence Weiner, Bas Jan Ader, Marina Abramovich, Harun Farocki or Andrea Fraser.

The space consists of three floors that boasts a labyrinthine layout including various rooms of differing design-some that resemble the more classic white cube and others with exposed brick walls and natural details of the original building.

FUTURA gallery hosts the permanent installation called Brownnosing, that was made by visual artist David Cerny in 2003 on the occasion of the first solo exhibitions organized at FUTURA. These two laminate sculptures were ceremonially unveiled in the garden at the opening of exhibition named Survey, which presented Czech artists of the contemporary fine art scene at that time.

The work is composed of two identical sculptures, made in a shape of lower half of human body which are bend forward. The sculptures are over life-size, which tipical for David Cerny. Sexless sculptures hide screens presenting two videos, they show the politician Vaclav Klaus and the artist Milan Knizac as they are feeding each other with a mash, which they are enjoying very much. The video is accompanied by well-known song "We Are The Champions" by the band Queen. These screens are visible only through a hole, which is located at the top of the statues and is accessible only by climbing up a ladder.

At the time of creation of the work Vaclav Klaus was newly elected President of the Czech Republic and Milan Knizak was the longtime director of the National Gallery in Prague.In his provocative installation David Cerny portrays his view on relations in czech society by an allegorical manner with humor he expresses this opinion on the aforementioned persons and their mutual support.