Hospitals typically symbolize a sense of safety for us—they offer publicly accessible, high-quality medical care concentrated in one place, a variety of care services, and serve as centers for cutting-edge research and medical and technological progress. However, in healthcare facilities, we naturally find ourselves in intimate situations that can be sensitive or even threatening—not only to our lives and health, but also in terms of the intensity of our experience. In these settings, we become very vulnerable, facing fears, uncertainty, pain, or a sense of helplessness stemming from bad news. 

Many hospital complexes were built during the modernist period of the last century. Their forms are rectangular, well-organized, and clean. They represent rationality, hygiene, and progress. But how do we feel in them? Can they accommodate our vulnerability? In what ways do architecture and art support the mental health needs of patients? 

The exhibition and walking tour series In Sickness and in Health will explore these themes from various perspectives, using the hospital complex of the Brno University Hospital in Bohunice as an example.

This extensive complex, designed in the mid-1960s, is a nationally significant example of postwar architecture with brutalist features, largely preserved in its authentic state and richly complemented by works of art from the second half of the 20th century. Its monumental seventeen-story structure towers over the city as both a symbol of protection and a memento. Its Brutalist and technicist façade evokes both admiration and anxiety. A machine for health, whose power is complemented by works of art—they bring color, organic shapes, a range of inviting materials, and, through their motifs, bring the human body and care to life.

Architect Miroslav Spurný himself likened the strictly scientifically organized and highly efficient hospital complex to modernist factory facilities. However, in collaboration with the medical team, he deliberately placed great emphasis on the comfort of hospitalized patients, which he sought to enhance through the layout, interior color scheme, and artistic decoration. 

A trio of new artworks by Medard Zeman, Lucie Rosenfeld, and Andi Schmied—temporarily installed on the hospital grounds and within its interiors—draws on the now-defunct postwar practice of mandating the inclusion of visual art in public institutions.

These contemporary works offer site-specific commentaries and interventions relating to the care of both the physical and mental aspects of the human being within the clearly structured and systematized operations and environment of the hospital. They focus on the individual in the healing process as well as on the constantly changing, living architectural organism of the hospital, which responds to the current demands of medicine. They highlight the power of sharing and the importance of a supportive community that alleviates the loneliness of challenging moments during treatment. 

As part of public events, the works will be complemented by expert-led thematic tours with sociologist Barbora Vacková, architectural historian Barbora Benčíková, and psychologist Tomáš Chodúr. The public will have the opportunity to discuss with them the role the hospital environment plays in the treatment process, how we perceive space and care from a patient’s perspective, and what can contribute to an easier recovery.

August 25, 2026, 6:00 PM
In Sickness and in Health: Medard Zeman, Barbora Vacková
opening reception and guided tour

meeting place: Brno University Hospital, Jihlavská 20, 625 00 Brno, behind the main entrance, in front of Pavilion CH

I Am a Machine with a Human Face
A sculpture of four intertwined bodies that fall toward one another yet simultaneously support each other. A complex interplay where roles are not clearly defined—patient or caregiver? Both the treatment process and the healing process can lead to a loss of identity in the pursuit of a higher purpose: health. The body becomes merely a component; the face remains the symbol of a person’s individuality and identity. Although the sculpture is made of metal and gives the impression of strength and stability, it is actually aluminum, which references the materiality of the hospital complex’s main building, yet is inherently soft and fragile—just like the very theme of the artwork itself.

Medard Zeman is a conceptual artist, musician, and sculptor. In his work, he naturally blends sculpture, intermedia approaches, performance, and visual art—most often navigating between the existentialism of everyday life and the critical grotesque of today’s world. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he trained in the sculpture, new media, and painting studios. He is currently a doctoral student at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Brno University of Technology, where his artistic research focuses on new forms of the art market, performativity, and methods for supporting the installation of artworks in public spaces. He has presented his work in a number of solo and group projects and exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Hospitals as a Window into Society
A hospital located on the outskirts of the city is a common part of our lives—it’s there when we have a problem, but its presence should not be taken for granted. As an institution, the hospital has a long history, but its current form has taken shape primarily since the 19th century, alongside the rapid development of medicine. But it’s not just about medicine; it’s also about the governance of society, public health, architecture, and urban planning. All of this—and more—forms the framework of what we understand today as a “hospital.” And just as the hospital came into being, so too did its “patient” (the masculine gender is intentional in this case). It is precisely this role of the patient that captures the tension between universalism and individualism that is characteristic of our society.

Barbora Vacková is a sociologist who has long focused on modern urbanism and the theory of modernization, including the power asymmetries inherent in modern and late-modern societies and their manifestations in physical space. She has worked at the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University, where she still teaches today, and has also lectured at the faculties of architecture in Liberec and Brno. She is currently the head of the Department of Civic Education at the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University, where she focuses primarily on teaching sociology and related disciplines.

September 22, 2026, 6:00 PM
In Sickness and in Health: Lucie Rosenfeldová, Barbora Benčíková
opening reception and guided walk

meeting place: Brno University Hospital, Jihlavská 20, 625 00 Brno, main walkway in front of Pavilion G  

Not Just Mine, Not Just Yours
The sculptures of women-mothers in front of the gynecology and psychiatry pavilions by Sylva Lacinová and Vincenc Makovský—which are motionless and intended to evoke care and perhaps even the joy of motherhood—are, at the same time, lonely in their own way: they cannot meet. The work will create an imaginary visual dialogue between these two sculptures halfway between the pavilions. 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 be presented as one possible way of finding common ground, though not as the sole 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 addresses questions about the changing nature of the relationship between representation and the body. She is currently conducting 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 walk, 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 support 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. 

October 1, 2026, 6:00 PM
In Sickness and in Health: Andi Schmied, Tomáš Chodúr
opening reception and guided walk
meeting place: Brno University Hospital, Jihlavská 20, 625 00 Brno, 2nd floor of Pavilion L

Hospital City
The hospital complex in Bohunice is a place undergoing constant construction changes. A model of the complex, displayed beneath the staircase in the second-floor lobby of the hospital’s main building, captures this architectural and urban development; the current artistic intervention “Hospital City” responds to this model. It complements the individual layers that have gradually accumulated on the grounds over the years: helicopter landing pads, works of art in the hallways, sculptures in the gardens, and the ever-expanding infrastructure that reflects the growing number of patients.

Andi Schmied is a Hungarian architect and visual artist whose work explores luxury housing and the functioning of the global real estate market. She graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture in London and subsequently earned her doctorate at MOME University in Budapest. Her projects are based on research, fieldwork, and documentation and take a variety of forms—from films and installations to performances and books. Her book Private Views: A High-Rise Panorama of Manhattan charts the closed world of New York’s luxury real estate market and has garnered significant international acclaim.

What if hospitals don’t just heal through medicine, but also affect us through the space itself?
The monumental monoblock of the Brno University Hospital in Bohunice is, for some, a fascinating technical organism; for others, a cold labyrinth of concrete. What happens in our psyche when we enter it? Why do some places evoke calm, while others stir an indescribable unease? And can architecture influence how we experience illness, hope, or care? Psychology offers the possibility of interpreting architecture not only with our eyes, but also through our emotions, memories, and imagination. Can art change the atmosphere of a place we usually associate with illness and treatment? Come take a different kind of walk through the hospital—as a landscape that tells a story not only about architecture but also about ourselves.

Tomáš Chodúr is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. He works at the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute in the clinical psychology outpatient clinic and also runs a private psychotherapy practice in Brno. In the past, he worked in the prison system and at a psychiatric clinic. In his work, he combines experience from clinical practice with training in analytical psychology (Jungian psychotherapy), which allows him to view institutions, architecture, art, and everyday environments as carriers of symbolic meanings.

October 25, 2026, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM
In Sickness and in Health: Klára Eliášová, Šárka Svobodová

Guided walk through the grounds with architectural historians 

meeting point: Brno University Hospital, Jihlavská 20, 625 00 Brno, in the passageway by the main entrance to Pavilion L

A guided walk with the curators will take visitors to all the new, temporarily installed art installations on the hospital grounds in Bohunice. They will also explain the circumstances surrounding the creation of the hospital complex, with its long and complicated construction history spanning half a century. During the walk, we will focus on the urban planning, architectural, and artistic design of the hospital, conceived by architect Miroslav Spurný (Stavoprojekt Brno) in the mid-1960s, according to which the complex expanded over the following two decades to include a gynecology and obstetrics wing, a monumental high-rise block serving as the main inpatient building, and extensive support facilities.

Klára Eliášová is an architectural historian and curator. Her professional work focuses on historic industrial cities, the activities of the Baťa company, and the architecture of the second half of the 20th century. Since 2012, she has been a member of the 4AM association, with which she has participated in a number of lecture and exhibition projects, as well as in the operation and conceptual development of the PRAHA cultural space in Brno. Since 2020, she has served as editor and academic advisor for the Zlín Architectural Manual project. She actively strives to make architecture accessible to the general public.

Šárka Svobodová is an architectural historian, curator, and founding member of 4AM; she focuses on exhibition projects and publishes texts centered primarily on the architecture of the second half of the 20th century. She teaches at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Brno University of Technology. She also contributes to the preservation of architectural and artistic heritage as an activist, sparking public debate on how contemporary society perceives the architecture and visual arts of the former political regime.

The collective 4AM Forum for Architecture and Media has been active in Brno since 2010, though it develops collaborations in a nationwide and international context. It is a platform that, through its projects, takes a critical look at professional issues related to architecture, urbanism, contemporary audiovisual culture, and broader sociopolitical and cultural phenomena. These projects emphasize interdisciplinarity, the examination of current social phenomena, and open collaboration with individual artists, creative collectives, and institutions.

curators: Klára Eliášová, Šárka Svobodová

exhibiting artists: Medard Zeman, Lucie Rosenfeldová, Andi Schmied

guided tours: Barbora Vacková, Barbora Benčíková, Tomáš Chodúr

visual identity: Terezie Štindlová (Day Shift Office)