The opening of Prague Art Week 25 will take place on September 25 at 7 PM together with the opening of the exhibition HAC#2 – Havrlant Art Collection 10th Anniversary at gallery Mánes. This extensive exhibition will present a curatorial selection of key works acquired over the past ten years. The collection of Kateřina Havrlant was founded in 2015 and within a decade has transformed into one of the most daring collections of contemporary art in the country. It is based on supporting young names, follows Central and Eastern Europe, but also embraces digital art and video art. The exhibition connects both local and international scenes – with works by Pakui Hardware, Igor Hosnedl, Klára Hosnedlová, Anna Hulačová, Zsófia Keresztes, Botond Keresztesi, Eliška Konečná, Eva Koťátková, Tadeáš Podracký, and Anna Uddenberg – alongside numerous other significant Czech artists. Curator Ján Gajdušek has chosen a selection that fully demonstrates the breadth of the collection: from figuration to radical video experiments.
What to expect?
The festival will kick off the autumn season with a diverse program showcasing the best of both Czech and international visual art. Visitors will encounter works by David Lynch, Alfons Mucha, Anna-Eva Bergman, and Hans Hartung, as well as by important figures of the Czech modern and contemporary scene, such as Zorka Ságlová, Peter Nižňanský, Jakub Jansa, or Jakub Choma. Alongside private galleries and state institutions, visitors will also be able to discover art in unconventional venues: for example, in the Benedictine convent at Bílá Hora, where the exhibition Ora et lege III will take place; at the site-specific exhibition Gridfall in the unique modernist building Laichter House; in the public space of the residential district Modřanský cukrovar; or during a guided tour of the sculpture studio of Věra and Vladimír Janouškovi.
New spaces and special projects
The festival also offers a chance to explore newly established venues for those who have not yet discovered them. Among them will be the very first exhibition Bod 0 at the new KodlContemporary space, located in a futuristic cube on Dvořákovo nábřeží; or the private gallery Clauda, which will present a solo exhibition by Vasil Artamonov titled Monstera. Also featured will be the second edition of PAW Young Selection, hosted by the newly established art hub The House, once again supporting emerging artists. This newly renovated functionalist villa in Ořechovka is also home to artist’s studios, which will open to the public on the afternoon of Saturday, September 27.
Festival guide
The full PAW25 program for the general public, including guided tours, accompanying events, and workshops, will be available free of charge on selected days and times. Up-to-date information about the program can be found at pragueartweek.cz, in the PAW25 catalog, and in Art Antiques magazine.
The extensive festival program includes classical media such as sculpture and painting, as well as audiovisual art, photography, performance, installation, and digital art. It can be navigated by event type – such as guided tours, performances, outdoor or children’s activities. Locations are listed on the PAW25 map and in the Locations section. Visitors can also plan their program by day, with additional recommendations provided below.
First days of PAW
On Thursday, September 25, we look forward to welcoming you at Výstavní síň Mánes, where at 7 PM we will jointly open the exhibition HAC#2 – Havrlant Art Collection 10th Anniversary.
Before the main opening, galleries in Prague 1 will open their doors to visitors, offering an afternoon of art events of your choice. At 4 PM, Galerie Kodl invites you to a guided tour of the auction exhibition Artslimit Online 10. At 5 PM, you can attend an Artist Talk at The Design concept store in the heart of Prague, accompanying the group exhibition Pulse of Samsara. Photography enthusiasts will enjoy a guided tour of the exhibition Fifty Years of the FAMU Photography Department at Galerie AMU, also at 5 PM. At the same time, Kunsthalle Praha will host a tour exploring the world of Anna-Eva Bergman and Hans Hartung. Afterwards, you can visit the openings of new exhibitions, conveniently timed before the main opening: Galerie C12 will present the group exhibition Interlude (Eva Maceková, Kateřina Ondrušková, Tomáš Roubal), HYB4 Gallery will open IT, Gallery NoD will feature a solo exhibition by Lenka Glisníková, and Galerie Weinberg will combine art and fashion in the project We Bleed Gold.
On Friday, September 26, the afternoon and evening program will focus on Prague 7 and its surroundings. Start at 3:30 PM with a guided tour of Stanislav Zábrodský’s solo exhibition at the private Polansky Gallery, led by Viennese curator Livia Klein. This will be followed by guided tours of the Jindřich Chalupecký Award exhibition at the Trade Fair Palace of National Gallery, including an Artist Talk by guest artist Kinke Kooi. At 6 PM, curator Eva Slabá will present the exhibition With Feathers and Flesh at Holešovická Šachta. The day can be rounded off with openings in the area – the new exhibition Three-Body Situation at The Chemistry Gallery, Gallery Night at Clauda, another show in the intergenerational dialogue series at Berlínskej Model off-space gallery, or a site-specific exhibition at the Savarin Palace featuring the GVP collective’s collection.
Weekend program
Over the weekend, Prague Art Week will offer a rich accompanying program. At the recently opened art hub The House in Ořechovka, visitors can attend the second edition of the special exhibition Young Selection 02, on view from September 26 to 28, daily from 10 AM to 6 PM, free of charge. Following last year’s debut, which attracted over four thousand visitors in just a few days and received enthusiastic acclaim from both the public and critics, the second edition will once again present ten outstanding talents without gallery representation, selected by a committee of festival partners and organizers. Their work spans painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, glass, installations, and experimental new media. On Saturday afternoon, visitors will also be able to explore the resident artists’ studios, gaining a unique opportunity to see their working environments and meet the creators. Studios will be open by Dominika Vyskočilová, Johana Novotná, Bianka Barniaková, Olga Krykun, Matěj Liška, David Pinkava, Max van Olffen, Jakub Hájek & František Hanousek, Lukáš Hofmann, and Marianna Stránská.
The National Gallery will also offer special weekend programming. On Saturday at 2 PM, there will be a guided tour of the exhibition Women, Mistresses, Artists 1300–1900 at the Wallenstein Riding School. At 5 PM, the Trade Fair Palace will host the launch of the catalog for the new exhibition Aleš Veselý: Alešville, which officially opens on September 25.
Art for everyone
The Prague Art Week 25 program also caters to younger audiences. At DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, a Saturday morning workshop for children is scheduled, while Kunsthalle Praha will offer an afternoon family tour. The youngest visitors can also explore the residential district Modřanský cukrovar, where the artwork Industrial Archaeology doubles as a unique playground. On Sunday morning, Kunsthalle Praha will host another children’s workshop.
All accompanying events of PAW25 are free of charge. Within the program, visitors can also access normally ticketed exhibitions for free, such as at the National Gallery Prague, Kunsthalle Praha, DOX, or the Mucha Museum, which on September 25 will offer discounted entry with the code PragueArtWeek50. Throughout the festival, the Prague Castle Picture Gallery will also be open free of charge, where visitors can admire works by Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, Veronese, Lucas Cranach, Hans von Aachen, and other masters. The Prague City Gallery will offer special entry to the exhibition Palace of (Leisure) Time at Troja Château on Sunday, September 28 for 1 CZK, which can be combined with a guided tour. Afterwards, there will be a guided tour of the Troja Château Labyrinth, where the curatorial team of Art for the City GHMP has newly selected several works for this unique public space.
Newly opened exhibitions
Several notable exhibitions will open during the festival. ARTEFIN Gallery will present Natural Selection in the unique spaces of Prague’s Vanguartd House, featuring works by Josef Bolf, Marek Číhal, Michal Gabriel, Maxim Havlíček, Petr Hajdyla, Vladimír Houdek, Jiří Matějů, Petr Nikl, Daniel Pitín, Theodor Pištěk, Jakub Sýkora, Ján Vasilko, and Monika Žáková. Galerie C12 will launch Interlude, connecting the work of Eva Maceková, Kateřina Ondrušková, and Tomáš Roubal. The site-specific project Gridfall – organized by KodlContemporary in the modernist Laichter House – will be accessible only during the festival, so don’t miss it. A visit to Laichter House in Prague’s Vinohrady can also be paired with a stop at SPOT Gallery, where a solo exhibition by Vladimír Houdek is on view, as well as at Artelier art&cafe, a space usually dedicated to art courses that will transform into a gallery every four days during Prague Art Week, presenting the exhibition Unanchored.
Festival closing
A beautiful Sunday opportunity to conclude the festival will be a visit to the exhibition Ora et Lege III at the Benedictine convent at Bílá Hora, which brings together Georgian and Czech women artists. The program begins at 2 PM with a guided tour led by curator Elene Abashidze, followed at 3 PM by a performance by Deva Schubert & Chihiro Araki. The day will close at 4 PM with a listening session by rivermoans, offering a unique sound experience.
The Prague art week also includes a wide range of openings, discussions, and educational guided tours for the public, complemented by VIP events offering opportunities to discover the diversity of the Prague art scene. You can join the PAW25 event on the Prague Art Week Facebook page, subscribe to the newsletteru, and connect with the festival on Instagramu and LinkedIn Prague Art Week.
