ARTBANKA
In this video Artyčok.TV examines Artbanka with a critical eye. Artbanka defines itself as being a non-profit project that helps young artists to get their foot in the door of this competitve art world. Under closer inspection one discovers the project is not as charitable as it first appears. After purchasing young Czech and Slovak artists’ work, Artbanka rents or lends the work to individuals and companies. Artbanka has closely colaborated with City Gallery Prague, and this video scrutinises the two institutions’ relationship through a series of interviews that highlights their somewhat sketchy partnership. Milan Bufka, director of City Gallery Prague tells the story of how the gallery had a Baroque building that was in disrepair. He found this site to be ususable as a traditional gallery space, neither did he want massive repair costs, so he decided to present comtemporary art, and that is how Artbanka began to occupy that building and present young artist’s work.
Artyčok.TV allows all parties a chance to express their own opinions regarding this matter, including Petr Šec co-founder of the allusive Artbanka. Šec defends the critics and art historians attacks, while at the same time never really revealing anything. Tomáš Pospisyzl, theoretician and curator makes an interesting observation – that many projects deliberately make their intentions unclear to the public and it’s critics. He also in an implicit way comments on City Gallery Prague and Artbanka’s strategy, where one is state funded and the other appears to be non-profit, but is in fact commercial. The “non-profit” institution can ask for and receive funds from the public budget. But with it’s intentions ambiguous, one expects that Artbanka could be profiting from the public’s budgets, as they also sell art. In comparison, Artbanka institutions that reside in Australia and Canada are state agencies, whose agenda is to create a state art collection. It has a public legal status not a commercial one like Artbanka.
Interviews with a few pedagogues from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, were conducted. They were asked about their role as Artbanka’s Guarantees. Jiří David does not consider himself a part of Artbanka, he informs us that he recommends a young, talented artist, but ultimately it is Artbanka’s choice on whether to use them or not. Whereas, Jiří Černický highlights the positives that the Artbanka project brings, which is that this institution attempts to support young art and academies, and can help a budding artist make it in this dog eat dog business.
Jiří Liška, City Hall representative, and Milena Bartlová also picked up on this inconspicuous issue concerning the funding of this project. Liška makes the valid point that no proper rental contract was ever signed, instead there was only a cooperation contract. Therefore, with this in mind there is a high possibility that public funding indirectly supports a commercial project. Bartlová notes that the fact public money is used to fund this commendable activity is not itself condemnable. However, we must ensure that whenever money is used from the public budget to fund these projects – there must be total clarity – in regards to the choice of artists and the use of this money. Due to Artbanka’s unclear intentions, this has raised suspicion, doubt, and perhaps even paranoia in the art community.
- Artbanka has from its beginnings presented itself as a non-profit project00:00:12.043
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- that wants to help young artists. Its main aim is to buy00:00:16.063
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- works of the youngest generation of Czech and Slovak artists.00:00:20.843
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- These works are then offered to individuals or companies for rent.00:00:25.486
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- For the money thus earned new works should be bought.00:00:30.029
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- The selection of artists takes place in three rounds.00:00:35.021
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- It's safeguarded by the Board of Guarantees and the Committee of Artbanka Experts.00:00:37.763
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- The Board of Guarantees is composed of the representatives of00:00:40.840
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- Czech and Slovak art academies who recommend talented students.00:00:43.304
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- The Committee of Art Bank Experts then selects the best ones00:00:48.679
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- and proposes what to purchase. Since its beginnings, Artbanka00:00:51.504
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- has been collaborating closely with the City Gallery Prague.00:00:55.423
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- In the middle of 2011, they opened together an exhibition00:00:58.754
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- Artbanka Museum of Young Art at The Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace.00:01:04.410
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- Not everyone in the Czech art scene was happy about the whole project.00:01:08.981
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- Shortly after Artbanka launched its activities,00:01:13.902
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- critical comments appeared in newspapers and expert journals.00:01:15.952
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- Petr Šec, collector and gallerist: As I see it, the greatest danger00:01:20.766
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- for Artbanka is the art community itself or some of its members -00:01:23.913
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- not the city authorities - we might be afraid of them00:01:28.672
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- for they could kick us out. No, surprisingly,00:01:33.418
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- it is a couple of individuals (not so many) who for some reason00:01:36.182
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- think they are the arbiters and they attack us without00:01:42.217
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- really asking us any questions. I feel this is unfortunate. So what could we do?00:01:49.348
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- We could write an article and publish it in Lidové noviny (a newspaper) but00:01:54.918
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- then we'd accept the rules of their game. I am in Scotland, I get angry about it00:02:01.952
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- So I write something on Facebook ... - this is useless.00:02:07.608
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- It is useless to argue with people who already think they know the situation.00:02:13.688
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- Tomáš Pospiszyl, theoretician and curator: Art market in the Czech Republic00:02:18.922
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- is quite limited. This is one reason or excuse00:02:21.825
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- why these things are not discussed. The second reason is that00:02:29.427
- 00:02:29.427
- there are a number of projects that make their real nature00:02:35.451
- 00:02:35.451
- deliberately unclear. Within the cultural sphere (in art, theater)00:02:42.127
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- there is a strategy that is quite popular.00:02:49.745
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- A group of people establishes and then runs several institutions,00:02:58.632
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- one of them is commercial and one of them is non profit.00:03:06.181
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- The non-profit organization asks for grants. Money from the public budget00:03:10.466
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- then goes to the people who are using the money in a way00:03:20.017
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- that is not transparent. I think this is the case of Artbanka.00:03:25.925
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- It is established by Dvorak Sec Gallery which shows00:03:34.427
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- but also sells art.00:03:44.334
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- Vít Havránek, theoretician and curator: This is a gallery that sells art.00:03:46.643
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- It participates in the art market. These galleries do not have collections00:03:50.562
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- and if they do, state institutions cannot collaborate on it.00:03:56.264
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- And we are talking here about the biggest city gallery.00:04:05.611
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- We know about another personal connection to Prague City Hall, Prague 1, and so on.00:04:09.677
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- It is not transparent in personal relationshps.00:04:17.559
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- It makes one ask more and more questions and be suspicious.00:04:21.017
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- Artbanka needs a year or two to stand on its own, to build its reputation.00:04:24.099
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- Some people will recognize it and some never will nor can.00:04:31.569
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- I'd just like to ask certain individuals to focus on something else for a while.00:04:38.210
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- What is this all about? People are just waiting for someone to make a mistake.00:04:45.932
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- Let us take a look at some contradictory information related to Artbanka00:04:52.248
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- in Czech media. Artbanka was established by Olga Dvořáková and Peter Šec,00:04:58.820
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- art collectors who run the commercial gallery Dvorak Sec Contemporary.00:05:02.787
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- For the Artbanka project they received funding from the budget of00:05:07.618
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- Prague 1 Municipal District through their association Gallery Art Factory.00:05:13.986
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- From 2009 to 2011 Dvorak Sec Contemporary received further funding00:05:17.973
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- from public budgets through DSC Art company.00:05:22.758
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- Petr Šec is active in a number of companies connected with the scandal00:05:29.682
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- over overcharged commissions for the Prague Public Transit Co.00:05:33.609
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- that is operated by the City Hall. In 2007, under suspicious circumstances,00:05:37.662
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- the Semma Company was chosen in a selection process to run00:05:42.609
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- Václav Špála Gallery operated by Prague 1 Municipal District.00:05:46.016
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- The husband of Olga Dvořáková Filip Dvořák was a town councillor,00:05:50.843
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- in fact a mayor of Prague 1 Municipal District from 2006 to 201000:05:55.765
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- where Dvorak Sec Contemporary has resided since 2009.00:06:00.670
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- Since its beginnings, Artbanka has been closely collaborating with City Gallery00:06:04.812
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- operated again by the City Hall. Curators of City Gallery00:06:10.776
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- collaborate with both Artbanka and the commercial gallery00:06:15.779
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- Dvorak Sec Contemporary.00:06:18.876
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- In June 2011 Artbanka received from City Gallery Prague00:06:20.533
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- the Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace for use on very good conditions.00:06:25.071
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- Milan Bufka, director of City Gallery Prague: We were worried because00:06:29.521
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- we were ordered to maintain a baroque building in a terrible state.00:06:32.243
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- We did not find a way how to use it as a traditional gallery space.00:06:38.537
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- We liked the idea of using the palace as it is - without massive repairs -00:06:43.817
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- to present contemporary art. This idea came up at one of the openings00:06:57.696
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- where I met Petr Šec and then we continued this discussion afterwards00:07:03.953
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- The result was that Artbanka became interested00:07:14.216
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- in using the building to present young art. They have been working00:07:20.621
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- with contemporary young artists already for a long time.00:07:29.134
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- Jiří Liška, TOP O9 City Hall representative: The biggest problem00:07:34.229
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- related to the cooperation between Artbanka and City Gallery Prague00:07:36.287
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- lies in that no proper rental contract was signed.00:07:39.190
- 00:07:39.190
- Instead of a rental contract, the owners of Artbanka00:07:43.136
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- and City Gallery Prague signed a cooperation contract.00:07:50.749
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- So there is an ambiguous alliance between the two. It is unclear00:07:56.492
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- who actually operates Artbanka. There is a net of companies00:08:01.270
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- surrounding Artbanka. Their only common element is Mrs. Dvořáková and Mr. Šec.00:08:09.024
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- I don't want to accuse anyone. But it is possible00:08:15.771
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- that in this case a commercial project is indirectly supported by public funding.00:08:19.809
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- Another problem lies in that City Gallery employees cooperate with Artbanka.00:08:28.312
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- Karel Srp, in particular, works there as a curator.00:08:39.114
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- I don't care if it is renumerated or not. The thing is00:08:42.810
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- that an employee of a state institution acts as a guarantee00:08:47.678
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- of a commercial project. I have nothing against business00:08:52.423
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- but one should do business with one's own money. You can't claim00:08:56.054
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- you do good and use public money.00:09:00.157
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- Petr Šec, collector and gallerist: We've been collaborating00:09:03.994
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- with City Gallery since the beginning because we wanted to show the works.00:09:08.870
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- We agreed that we would do an exhibition together in August last year.00:09:13.074
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- In the meantime we realized that this baroque ruin was empty.00:09:19.493
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- And we really talked them into it. I mean City Gallery Prague00:09:25.002
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- and the Councillor for Culture. I can't imagine that City Gallery00:09:32.056
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- would organize a competition for a building before reconstruction.00:09:39.897
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- It was an ad hoc project. If they start with the reconstruction tomorrow,00:09:43.051
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- we will end this thing within a month and we will get out of here.00:09:47.144
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- There couldn't have been any competition,00:09:49.404
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- the building was in a terrible state. It was an opportunity to show young art00:09:54.263
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- and we used it. And when we did, people began to be envious.00:10:00.602
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- Certain theoreticians and curators think that visual art is only theirs.00:10:05.057
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- They say it to others but we think that it isn't only theirs.00:10:11.839
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- We also have the right - even if I myself am not a theoretician00:10:17.394
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- or an art historian - I am a collector. But I have certain professional00:10:22.123
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- experience that makes possible that something happens in four weeks00:10:28.857
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- and that the concept isn't discussed for a year. We act and do things.00:10:32.417
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- This is important and this is what hapened.00:10:38.577
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- Tomáš Pospiszyl, theoretician and curator: I studied00:10:42.268
- 00:10:42.268
- how art banks function in different countries. By the way, Artbanka,00:10:46.372
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- to a certain extent, claims to be such an "art bank". When I communicated00:10:52.857
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- with these people and they were very willing to explain their work.00:10:58.837
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- In Canada or Australia these are institutions operated by the state.00:11:03.155
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- They are state agencies that work to create a state art collection00:11:10.613
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- that then is used for different purposes. The art is owned by the state00:11:17.307
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- which then may let others rent it or lends it to embassies.00:11:27.060
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- Important is that it is clearly stated - this is paid by the state,00:11:34.721
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- it is the property of the state, the people of that state.00:11:42.037
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- It has a public legal status - not a commercial one like Artbanka.00:11:46.646
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- Milan Bufka, City Gallery Prague director: I agree00:11:55.862
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- that such a project should be operated by the state.00:11:57.826
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- However, I as a director of City Gallery Prague have been for years00:12:00.706
- 00:12:00.706
- asking for funding from the City Hall to finance acquisition00:12:05.835
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- so that we could buy art works from contemporary artists00:12:10.120
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- so that there is a continuity of acquisitions.00:12:13.545
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- Unfortunately, our requests were not granted and the last acquisition00:12:19.012
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- took place in 2002 or 2003.00:12:24.389
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- Radek Wohlmuth, independent curator: Regarding the fact that the project00:12:27.656
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- is initiated by private interest ... It is difficult to discuss because00:12:30.638
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- everyone would be happy if the state was in a condition00:12:38.313
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- to initiate such a project. However, we all know the situation00:12:46.715
- 00:12:46.715
- of culture and visual art - I'm talking about the support of individual projects,00:12:55.014
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- grants, galleries. I am a pragmatist and when it seems there is no solution00:12:59.942
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- and a private individual wants to support young art then there is nothing left00:13:07.204
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- but to accept what is offered.00:13:21.134
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- Jiří Švestka, gallerist: It seems that Artbanka speculates that if it manages00:13:24.138
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- to collect works from 50% of today's young generation,00:13:29.626
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- one or two of them will become commercially successful,00:13:36.025
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- the value of their works will increase and make the investment profitable.00:13:43.313
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- This is how collectors think, let's be frank about it.00:13:53.577
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- However, they don't claim it's a charity project and that it is non profit.00:14:00.228
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- It is a private collection, it is interesting in some ways00:14:10.676
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- because it maps a broad territory but whether it will be profitable00:14:16.653
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- or whether it will become a big collection remains to be seen.00:14:24.049
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- Big collections are built in slightly different ways.00:14:26.601
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- Milan Salák, pedagogue at Prague's art academy, Committee of Arbanka Experts 2011:00:14:29.957
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- The problem of Artbanka being presented as charity and a non-profit project00:14:34.023
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- is a matter of labeling that we cannot do without.00:14:45.224
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- When I let my child go outside I won't put on his back a label00:14:52.196
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- saying this is a son of rich parents or something like that.00:15:00.447
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- I don't mind the standard even if questionable designations.00:15:05.108
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- I am interested in what these things actually are.00:15:14.647
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- Petr Šec, collector and gallerist: We don't want to make a lot of money.00:15:17.378
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- The collection is there to help. Most likely, in the end we will00:15:22.277
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- donate it to an institution. We don't know how long Artbanka will00:15:29.246
- 00:15:29.246
- last, we want to work on it for some time. It might be five years, ten years...00:15:32.515
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- To tell you the truth, the institutions are not very interested.00:15:37.002
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- We would be happy to offer it to the National Gallery,00:15:40.779
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- but they don't really care.00:15:43.998
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- Milan Bufka, City Gallery Prague director: According to what Mr. Šec tells me,00:15:45.417
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- offering art for rent doesn't work. Nobody wants it.00:15:48.576
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- We asked some of the members of the Committee of Arbanka Experts00:15:56.106
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- for an interview. Sandra Baborovská, curator of City Gallery Prague,00:16:00.030
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- has replied that she holds no position in Artbanka and that00:16:06.201
- 00:16:06.201
- it was against her will that she appeared on its web page.00:16:10.213
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- After a few weeks, she disappeared from the page.00:16:13.470
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- We asked Petr Šec to explain her reaction.00:16:16.468
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- A moment ago, I spoke about the local art community.00:16:20.947
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- Yes, they succeeded in creating an atmosphere of fear.00:16:24.673
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- I think this is unfortunate, I think it's perfectly acceptable00:16:30.115
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- for Dr. Srp or Sandra or whomever to be a member of the Committee of Experts.00:16:33.988
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- They don't receive any honorarium and they can participate.00:16:38.465
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- So I "congratulate" our critics.00:16:41.129
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- They've managed to intimidate some people.00:16:47.289
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- We asked the pedagogues from art academies about their role as Artbanka Guarantees00:16:50.225
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- and their opinion on the whole project.00:16:55.448
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- Jiří David, pedagogue: I am not a part of Artbanka.00:16:57.389
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- This is nothing against Artbanka but I am not part of it.00:17:00.174
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- I recommend someone and I told you why. But I don't influence00:17:04.075
- 00:17:04.075
- the system in any way whatsoever - it is the choice of the student.00:17:10.432
- 00:17:10.432
- I tell Milan Salák, who is much more involved in it,00:17:14.798
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- this student is interesting, he can make a choice to go there or not.00:17:19.695
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- It is his choice.00:17:25.613
- 00:17:25.613
- Jiří Černický, pedagogue: What's good about it is00:17:27.664
- 00:17:27.664
- that this institution tries to support young art and academies.00:17:30.276
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- Jiří David would say that it does not matter,00:17:35.908
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- that it depends on every individual. I think it does matter and00:17:39.452
- 00:17:39.452
- it can help someone who is smart. Undoubtedly, these activities make sense.00:17:46.322
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- It all then depends on the students. What is problematic about it...00:17:55.976
- 00:17:55.976
- It is true like you say that the show is not persuasive,00:18:02.507
- 00:18:02.507
- the way the institution appears and the way it functions00:18:05.724
- 00:18:05.724
- is not persuasive. For the public it can naturally seem quite questionable.00:18:09.576
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- When I say now that I don't influence it in any way00:18:15.853
- 00:18:15.853
- it can seem as if I am excusing myself but that's how it is.00:18:20.474
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- It appears that after twenty years the situation has become normal.00:18:30.623
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- I mean the relationships between state and private interests etc.00:18:36.187
- 00:18:36.187
- Milena Bartlová, art historian: But they have emerged00:18:39.707
- 00:18:39.707
- in a really weird shape. They lack good manners.00:18:41.649
- 00:18:41.649
- Good manners are not written in the law but we would consider someone00:18:54.717
- 00:18:54.717
- who doesn't keep them in the same way as someone who gets naked on TV.00:19:00.545
- 00:19:00.545
- We just consider it unacceptable. This is what's missing here.00:19:06.068
- 00:19:06.068
- We cannot demand it by law and I don't really know what to do about it.00:19:13.033
- 00:19:13.033
- First of all, we should talk about it and articulate the differences.00:19:20.422
- 00:19:20.422
- Back to Artbanka - The fact that a private subject00:19:27.590
- 00:19:27.590
- has undertaken such a role is amazing. Let him do what he can.00:19:33.863
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- The fact that public money is used to fund this commendable activity00:19:40.113
- 00:19:40.113
- is not in itself condemnable. We must insist that whenever00:19:47.917
- 00:19:47.917
- public money is used - in this case through City Gallery Prague00:19:54.837
- 00:19:54.837
- which is funded by the city, that is public budget -00:20:04.049
- 00:20:04.049
- total transparency must be maintained - in the choice of artists00:20:10.318
- 00:20:10.318
- and the use of this money.00:20:16.847
mnichovska artbanka (artotheka) je vlastnena mestem !
http://www.muenchen.de/int/en/Rathaus/culture/museums/Artothek/index.html
Interesting… I had my doubts, but it seems the only problem is the self-definition of Artbanka. They need to state it very clearly that it is a private institution with a commercial interest. Then it is a very worthy undertaking which deserves praise. Unfortunately the fact that Artbanka presents itself like a non-profit altruistic organization creates a very wrong perception. Now they just seem to be a leech sucking public money, with zero transparency. And no-one can tell the truth, which opens space for speculation.
velmi zajimava situace..
(grammar alert: uplnej konec – rozhovory se natacelY)