Galerie Entrance is the first art space in Prague whose programme is dedicated to the targeted and long-term issue of ecological sustainability and care for the environment. We perceive this issue as a socially urgent and at the same time very complex, encompassing a wide range of sub-topics and issues. This allows us to structure the gallery's programme as sufficiently open to represent different artistic, theoretical and practical positions and approaches.

Within the actual operation of the gallery, we gradually introduce modes of practice that are consistent with environmentally and ecologically conscious content. Key for us are the values of sustainability and reducing consumption, collaboration and horizontality, discussion and (self-)education, as well as the importance of slow curating and prioritising quality over quantity. In this sense, we also try to focus on longer-term collaborations and activities that do not lead exclusively to an immediate public output, but are an essential part of the development of the gallery's mission and the implementation of our vision (e.g. reading group, international networking, collaboration on art projects that take place throughout the year, etc.)

We are now building the Gallery's drama on three main programmatic "pillars", to which we intend to gradually add a fourth:

1. exhibitions and artistic events

2. a research and community programme targeted towards the arts scene

3. educational program targeted to the neighborhood; education and outreach toward the broader community

4. long-term art projects associated with the gallery site and/or associated residencies

Curatorial Statement

Within Entrance Gallery's work we are guided by key feminist principles such as collaboration, sharing, solidarity and care. The focus of the gallery's programme is not to build a position from which to claim or even 'usurp' a particular body of knowledge, discourse or artistic practice. We are aware that environmental issues have a rich history in the Czech artistic context and (not only in relation to the current planetary changes in climate, biosphere, etc.) also a vibrant present. Our ambition, of course, is to generate a high quality and distinctive programme, but we are not interested in "competing" at any cost with other organisations, projects or individuals that relate to similar themes, because it is precisely their urgency and importance that gives rise to the fundamental need for mutual support and sharing. That is why we aim to establish cooperation, to learn from others, to give space to others. If we are to address issues of environmental sensitivity, we must also be sensitive to each other.

We therefore strive to establish and deepen relationships with others over the long term. On the one hand, we want to create a space for other actors from the artistic sphere to present projects and ways of working related to the environment, ecology and related topics, and also to initiate opportunities for mutual sharing (all-day "gathering" - meetings in the monastery garden, aimed at sharing practical experience and theoretical knowledge). On the other hand, we intend to open the gallery space even more to visitors from the wider public and to try to deepen the gallery's ties with its immediate surroundings - with the neighbours who regularly visit the gallery and with the inhabitants of Břevnov in general.

History of the project

Galerie Entrance was founded in 2005 as a non-profit activity, whose main goal to this day is primarily the presentation of contemporary art. The gallery started as a typical "artist-run space", i.e. an exhibition space run by artists for artists. Entrance started its operation in the former Karlín Studios and in December 2012 it moved to the newly renovated orangery in the garden of the Břevnov Monastery. Initially, Entrance's programme focused almost exclusively on the emerging generation of artists, reflecting, among other things, the position of the gallery's founders at the time, Tereza Velíková, Tereza Severová and Barbora Zachovalová.

The gallery's programme was aimed primarily at the progressive young generation of artists, especially students and recent graduates of art schools or artists whose work was associated with this generation. The Entrance gallery space was intended to serve as a backdrop for young artists, filling the vacuum between the environment of art colleges and the professional art sphere, mostly in the form of solo exhibitions. Gradually, the exhibition dramaturgy has been gradually changing with respect to the changing times and context of artistic activity in Prague.

In 2020, Tereza Jindrová, who has been cooperating with the gallery as a curator since 2015, and Veronika Čechová took over the management of the gallery. Martin Bražina remains as the gallery's chief production and technical manager, and Ola Bražinová manages production and administrative matters. Along with the new management, the long-term focus of the gallery has also changed.