On Tuesday 18 March, two new exhibitions will be ceremonially opened at the House of the Lords of Kunštát in Brno. The exhibitions, entitled ‘Artificial Intimacies’ and ‘Vector of Poverty’ will be complemented by the opening of a sound installation at the Vašulka Kitchen new media art centre, located on the first floor of the House of the Lords of Kunštát.
The first exhibition, Artificial Intimacies, is part of the exhibition cycle ‘Your Addiction Is the Message’, which began last year. Its focus is on the phenomenon of recreational romance in the digital age. As curator Valentina Peri explains, the exhibition “reveals parallels between the emotional manipulation of online scammers and the rise of AI companions like Replika.” It explores how gamification affects dating apps, and how artificial intelligence is reshaping emotional bonds between humans and non-human entities, whether virtual assistants, chatbots, or other digital forms.
Vector of Poverty addresses the relationship between architecture and poverty, a topic that extends beyond physical space to encompass the social, economic, and political dimensions of society. For three semesters, students from several studios at the Faculty of Architecture, Brno University of Technology, have explored various aspects of poverty and inclusion, seeking ways to articulate these pressing social issues within the field of architecture. The exhibition investigates how architecture can affect the lives of people living in poverty and how it can contribute to solving social problems, presenting projects and concepts focused on creating affordable and dignified housing, revitalizing neglected areas, and promoting social inclusion.
The sound installation at the Vašulka Kitchen, entitled ‘Displaced Water Tank 2 Screens Surround Sound’, was created by the AXONTORR duo, comprising artists and musicians Simon Kounovský (FR) and Oliver Torr (CZ). This installation is a 44-second aftereffect of their residency in Brno, where they spent their time developing new tools and a musical set. The artists previously presented their work during a performance at the Brno water reservoirs, and the exhibition now showcases the results of their creative process.
