House in House

A House Within

The latest exhibition curated by Michal Škoda at the Gallery of Contemporary Art and Architecture in České Budějovice showcases the work of the architectural studio Malý Chmel. A temporary spatial intervention – the insertion of a "house with six rooms" into the original gallery – transforms the exhibition into an architectural experience.

The title A House Within carries dual significance. Symbolically, it denotes the exhibition's intention to present architecture as a spatial experience. The inserted house changes the way of movement, seeing, and perceiving light and details, offering tranquility for concentration. Through a narrow slit, it remains possible to glimpse the original gallery space.

Literally, it refers to the place itself, as one of the models represents the planned reconstruction of the House of Art. The winning design of the architectural competition, created by the Malý Chmel studio in collaboration with the Berlin studio AFF Architekten, already has building permits and execution documentation, but its realization has been postponed by the city of České Budějovice until after 2028.

Models that Draw You In

In the new "internal house," large-format architectural models created specifically for this exhibition are placed. These are not just project showcases – the models are independent objects that can be walked around, observed from both outside and inside, read as proposals as well as spaces. They bring closer the studio's way of thinking based on spatial intuition, carry atmosphere and materiality, and in combination with the new exhibition space create situations that aspire to be architecture in and of themselves.

The presented projects showcase different phases and scales of the studio's work – from solitary houses in the landscape to extensive public buildings. The exhibition begins with a model of the planned reconstruction of the House of Art, with other projects connected by their method of working with context, scale, and structure.

Architecture as Experience

The exhibition does not tell a linear story but offers a space to walk through and experience. The models, scale, light, and structure of the new internal house create an environment where architecture can be perceived through all senses. The Malý Chmel studio shows that architecture is not just a result of work, but also a process – a search, an assembly, and a shaping of space that makes sense.

A House Within is a showcase of past works and an exhibition experiment. It raises the question of how to present architecture so that it transforms from mere description into experience. Between the permanent and the temporary, between the actual building and its representation, this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to glimpse into a world where every architecture begins with the search for space.

Words from the Curator Michal Škoda

"When I found myself in the situation this year where it was necessary to prepare one more unplanned exhibition, which would also conclude my twenty-eight years of work for the House of Art in České Budějovice and would be the final exhibition of the Gallery of Contemporary Art and Architecture, I immediately knew what to do. Given how important architecture is in our lives, the role it plays within the presentations in this gallery, considering what architecture means to me personally, and in light of all the circumstances that have recently occurred around this 'house,' I did not hesitate for a moment that it could be an exhibition other than architectural."

"At the same time, I was clear that the person I would invite could only be the Malý Chmel studio. The reason is not just the well-known fact that they are the authors who, along with the Berlin studio AFF, won the competition for the reconstruction of the house in 2021, but also the overall quality of their work. I believe this exhibition is a certain proof that we are encountering the work of authors with a clear opinion and a distinctive way of thinking, grounded in a rigorous approach to the tasks at hand, where they pay maximum attention to every detail."