Klub konkretistů KK3

Klub konkretistů KK3 is a Czech artists' association that brings together several generations of creators working with the language of geometry. It is the direct continuation of the original Klub konkretistů, founded in Prague on 9 May 1967 by theorist Arsén Pohribný and artists Radoslav Kratina, Jiří Hilmar, Tomáš Rajlich and Miroslav Vystrčil. The club became a platform for neo-constructive and geometric art with international reach, connecting Czech and Slovak artists and theorists with colleagues in Poland, Germany and Hungary. After the original club was forced to dissolve in 1971, theorist Jiří Valoch kept the awareness of rational art alive until the club was renewed in the 1990s as KK 2, active mainly in Olomouc and Bratislava. In 2007 a further revival took place in Hradec Králové, where the group now called KK3 was established, represented by sculptor Štěpán Málek and coordinator Jana Vincencová. KK3 is based in Hradec Králové and its home exhibition space is the amb gallery in the functionalist Sbor kněze Ambrože building by architect Josef Gočár. The club organizes exhibitions and regular exhibition festivals to connect artists from across the country, including guests outside the club. Its regular events include Konkrétní podzim (Concrete Autumn) since 2011 and Nábřeží umělců (Artists' Embankment) since 2014. The club's graphic designer is exclusively Petr Scháněl. Active members include Eduard Ovčáček, Jiří Hilmar, Jiří Valoch, Jaromír E. Brabenec, Lubomír Přibyl, Aleš Svoboda, Vladimír Havlík, Ladislav Daněk, Štěpán Málek, Radoslav Pavlíček, Jaroslav Jebavý, Vladana Hajnová, Eva Francová, Kubo Novák, Ladislav Jezbera, Luděk Míšek, Viktor Hulík, Oleg Fintora, Marián Drugda, Robert Urbásek ml., Ľuba Belohradská and Oldřich Schnabl. The club also cooperates with families and heirs of artists such as Eduard Antal, Robert Urbásek, Jiří Bielicki, Štefan Belohradský and Dalibor Chatrný. Guests of the club include Jan Dudešek and Katarína Balúnová.

Klub konkretistů KK3 is the direct continuation of the original Klub konkretistů, founded in Prague on 9 May 1967 by theorist Arsén Pohribný and four artists: Radoslav Kratina, Jiří Hilmar, Tomáš Rajlich and Miroslav Vystrčil. The group soon became a movement and a platform for neo-constructive and geometric art with international reach. It was never a monolithic current but rather a collection of very individual and diverse approaches. From the outset the club had international ambitions and was understood in a Central European context, in contact with Polish, German and Hungarian colleagues and associations. The club brought together artists of at least three generations: the oldest born in the 1930s who joined in the 1960s at its founding; those who created concrete art during the normalization period when the club officially did not exist; and the youngest generation who found their way to rational art, geometric language or visual poetry only after 1989. The club was inspired by or existed in parallel with the French GRAV group, the German ZERO, the Dutch Nul and the Italian Arte programmata movement. Very close to it was the concept of the open work, i.e. a work completed by the viewer's perception, as described by Umberto Eco. In Bohemia, neo-constructive art first appeared in the 1960s through artists of the Křižovatka group, around the New Sensibility exhibitions and in the Klub konkretistů. The club follows the manifesto of concretism published by the circle of artists around Theo van Doesburg in the journal Art Concret in 1930 and the work of Max Bill in Switzerland. Art belonging to the circle of concretism is characterized by a desire for universal art functioning in the order of things, the spiritual and supra-personal sphere of geometry, variability, movement and dynamics, sound and optical possibilities, the use of prefabricated material or, conversely, computer technologies and architectonics – the idea of setting rationality, methodicalness and an interest in science against the chaos of the world. The club was founded in Prague on 9 May 1967. Until the end of its activity in 1971, the Klub konkretistů developed a great exhibition activity. It presented itself in 1968 at the Václav Špála Gallery, and in 1969 exhibitions followed in Karlovy Vary, Olomouc, Jihlava and also in The Hague. Not only did the concretists exhibit their work abroad, but they also presented works by foreign artists at home. In the connection of Slovak and Czech artists at the end of the 1960s, Jindřich Chalupecký played a major role, inviting the group led by Štefan Belohradský to his Václav Špála Gallery. And of course Jiří Kolář, in whose studio the authors met Arsén Pohribný. The founder of the club, theorist Arsén Pohribný, emigrated in 1968, first to Italy, then settled in Germany. Another theorist of the group became Jiří Valoch, who at that time was completing his diploma thesis on the typology and genesis of visual and phonic poetry. After the forced dissolution of the club in 1971, he became for many decades a universal interpreter of non-imitative art and also a link between artists. By building a unique collection, texts, exhibitions and travels among artists throughout Central Europe, he helped maintain awareness of rational art until the 1990s, when the club was renewed. During normalization, Jiří Valoch traveled across the country practically from the beginning, as if the club had not been officially dissolved. Valoch's travel strategy of making contacts turned the concretists into friends, a community and a mutually cohesive base. Correspondence with Arsén Pohribný was also important. As KK 2, the Klub konkretistů operated in the 1990s in several urban centers, most actively in Olomouc and Bratislava. In the era of high postmodernism, the platform of what still constitutes concretism expanded significantly. Especially in the person of Vladimír Havlík, a playful, processual and performative element entered the club. The year 2007 brought another revival, this time from Hradec Králové, where the group now called KK3 was established, represented by sculptor Štěpán Málek and coordinator Jana Vincencová. After the theorists Arsén Pohribný, Jiří Valoch and Zbyněk Sedláček fell silent, the club established contact with the Slovak scene, which also functions thanks to the books and exhibitions of theorist Ľuba Belohradská and the tireless exhibition activity of Viktor Hulík and Galerie Z. Slovak concretists are close to the related MADI movement. The original members of the East Bohemian section were: Štěpán Málek, Radoslav Pavlíček, Jaroslav Jebavý, Vladana Hajnová, Eva Francová and others. KK3 is based in Hradec Králové and its home exhibition space is the amb gallery, a functionalist space of the Sbor kněze Ambrože in Ambrožova Street in Hradec Králové, by architect Josef Gočár. The club organizes exhibitions and regular exhibition festivals for the purpose of meeting and connecting artists from all over the country (not only those with a concrete focus). Guests outside the club often appear at exhibitions, events and festivals. Regular events include Konkrétní podzim since 2011 and Nábřeží umělců since 2014, which arose from the exhibition shortage of spaces in Hradec Králové. The graphic designer of the Klub konkretistů KK3 is exclusively Petr Scháněl.

• 2014

  Nábřeží umělců (Artists' Embankment) festival established.

• 2011

  Konkrétní podzim (Concrete Autumn) festival established.

• 2007

  Revival in Hradec Králové; group now called KK3 established, represented by Štěpán Málek and Jana Vincencová.

• 1990

  Club renewed as KK 2, active mainly in Olomouc and Bratislava.

• 1971

  Club forced to dissolve; Jiří Valoch keeps the movement alive.

• 1969

  Exhibitions in Karlovy Vary, Olomouc, Jihlava and The Hague.

• 1968

  Exhibition at the Václav Špála Gallery in Prague.

• 1967

  Original Klub konkretistů founded in Prague on 9 May by Arsén Pohribný and four artists.

A Central European platform for concrete, neo-constructive and geometric art, connecting generations of artists and maintaining the legacy of the original Klub konkretistů.

• Konkrétní podzim

• Nábřeží umělců

• amb gallery exhibitions

1. 1Klub Konkrétistů | Kk3 | Hradec Královéjanavincencova.wixsite.com
2. 2Klub konkretistů KK3 – Wikipediecs.wikipedia.org
3. 3Klub konkretistů KK3 – Wikidatawikidata.org