COME AND DRAW! / Holidays at Kunsthalle LAB

Come and visit the summer playroom at the gallery and discover that drawing is fun and creativity is in all of us!

 

The situation caused by coronavirus brought rapid changes into the lives of many gallery institutions and their long-term exhibition plans. Kunsthalle Bratislava decided to respond to this unforeseen situation in an equally experimental way by strengthening and highlighting its educational function directly in the exhibition space. In this respect, the Kunsthalle LAB's “window” gallery space will be temporarily transformed into a creative studio for families in the period from July 27 to September 13.

 

Photo Ema Lančaričová

 

Studio is a place where artists create their art. But even the city, streets or nature can turn into a studio! In galleries, there are studios with specific zones – playrooms dedicated to creative experiments for all of us. Even Kunsthalle LAB will change into an open playroom for families during the summer where children and adults may spend their time creatively during the summer holidays.

 

The visitors and passers-by have already got used to the different experimental forms of contemporary art at Kunsthalle LAB. This communicative and wheelchair-friendly space, in which the boundaries between interior and exterior disappear through the glass wall, will be temporarily transformed and offered to the public as a community place for active recreation and creative activities devoted to drawing.

 

The new use of this space is based on the educational function of Kunsthalle Bratislava, which has been in place since its inception – through the mediators who actively communicate with the visitors of the exhibitions, Kunsthalle KIDS educational programs for children and schools, the special Child Mediator program, the regularly published Child Guides to the exhibitions, Art as Experiment workshops for adults, and through lectures and discussions.


 

"By relocating the studio (which is situated inside the building during the year) to the visible area of Kunsthalle LAB, we also wanted to provide access to those visitors who do not normally pursue art, and introduce the gallery as a community space and a lively center for playful learning and development of creativity, which is not only the domain of artists. By opening the playroom, we also respond to the current situation after the unplanned attenuation of activities during the pandemic because many of us are vacationing at home. Therefore, we decided to create an active zone for creative leisure activities in the center of Bratislava and invite the families and other visitors to participate in this project on a repeated basis: people can leave their drawings in the gallery as a trace of their presence," says Daniela Čarná. 

 

"We ourselves are wondering what findings this experiment will bring. Tourism has virtually stopped and only a few people travel. International artistic operations have been attenuated. Therefore, we have decided to change the gallery's function for a while and draw attention to its educational and community potential," states Nina Vrbanová, director of Kunsthalle Bratislava.

 

Drawing is a universal language understood by all. It brings together the world of art and everyday life, the world of children and adults. We use it in almost every profession and in different areas of life. For example, when giving directions, doodling during a phone call, or listening to music. It has a life of its own in notebooks, on cracked walls, foggy glass or in the sky. Drawing is the main topic of the playroom where the visitors are free to draw on the wall and re-discover what every child already knows – one can draw in many other ways than with pencil and paper, and drawing must not always depict, but may express much more.
 

 

The Kunsthalle LAB studio is designed for families, but also visitors of all ages who want to experiment and discover the artistic games and creativity as a source of active recreation. The studio is loosely inspired by the publication "Draw a Sheep. Drawing as You Don’t Know It”, and it was prepared by its authors and KHB gallery teachers Daniela Čarná and Lucia Kotvanová.

 

The exhibition holidays at Kunsthalle LAB = the creative holidays at Kunsthalle LAB for children and adults!

 

Photo Ema Lančaričová