We invite you to the opening of the second new artwork in the hospital’s public space and a guided tour.

The exhibition and walking tour series In Health and Sickness, curated by Klára Eliášová and Šárka Svobodová, takes place across three coordinated events on the modernist grounds of the Brno University Hospital in Bohunice.

The monumental Brutalist architecture from the 1960s towers over the city as both a symbol of protection and a memento. Its technical facade evokes both admiration and anxiety in us. A “health machine,” whose power is complemented by period artworks; the project by the 4AM Forum for Architecture and Media will temporarily expand this with three new art installations directly within the functioning hospital environment.

Not Just Mine, Not Just Yours

The sculptures of women-mothers in front of the gynecology and psychiatry pavilions by Sylva Lacinováand Vincenc Makovský, which are motionless and intended to evoke care and perhaps even the joy of motherhood, are at the same time, in a way, lonely—they cannot meet. The work will create an imaginary visual dialogue between these two sculptures halfway between the wards. As mothers-patients, they will finally be able to share—articulating their experiences to one another and a sense of belonging, which is often the missing link in healing. The work will explore views through the sculptures, the interweaving of layers within the created image and the environment, and the discovery of mutual kinship as part of the healing process. A scientific approach to the body will emerge as one possible way of finding common ground, though not as the only solution.

Lucie Rosenfeldová is an artist and educator. In her work, she primarily engages with experimental documentary film rooted in artistic-research practice. Through her films, she explores questions regarding the changing nature of the relationship between representation and the body. She is currently engaged in research on embodied memory and the possibilities for its scientific and artistic representation. She is the recipient of the grand prize at the Jiné vize – PAF Olomouc festival (2016). Lucie Rosenfeldová studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in Jiří Černický’s painting studio, and later in the sculpture studio under Dominik Lang and Edith Jeřábková. In collaboration with Žil Vostalová, she co-leads the Art and Technology studio at UMPRUM.

Spaces of Care 

What role does care play in the planning of our cities? And who is considered the “typical user” when designing healthcare facilities? The complex represents a significant work of postwar architecture that reflects the ideal of a modern healthcare center based on centralization, efficiency, and professional management of care. These principles are reflected in its location within the city, its connection to surrounding structures, the hierarchy of movement, and the everyday experience of patients, their companions, and the staff. During our guided tour, we will explore how the hospital’s spatial layout influences orientation, movement, and everyday functioning. We will touch on topics such as accessibility, inclusivity, a sense of safety, and conditions that promote privacy, dignity, and comfort during treatment and work.

Barbora Benčíková is an architectural historian working at the Tugendhat Villa Study and Documentation Center of the Brno City Museum, where she focuses on heritage preservation, education, and the creation of accompanying programs. In her work, she focuses on ways to interpret architecture and the city within broader social contexts and to make them accessible to diverse segments of the public. She has long been engaged with topics such as sensitive urban planning, the social dimension of architecture, and the relationship between space and the everyday experiences of its residents. She is the co-author of the publication Brno for Everyone: Sensitive Urban Planning (2022), which explores possibilities for more inclusive and considerate urban development. 

Venue: Brno University Hospital, Jihlavská 20, Brno, main walkway in front of Pavilion G