Artbanka Museum of Young Art (AMoYA)

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Prague sightseeing guide

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Artbanka Museum of Young Art (AMoYA) presents young contemporary art by leading Czech artists from the generation starting '68, as well as the current youngest generation of Czech and Slovak artists.

AMoYA is housed in a former grand, but now run down building, the Baroque Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace, close to Charles Bridge.

The destructiveness of the communist era is evident throughout the palace. Intricate decoration, indeed the very structure of the building was left to deteriorate terribly. Some nice features were even ripped out just to create a bit of space.

And here lies the crux of this exhibition. Not everyone is going to get it, some will not like it, but many will judge it a worthwhile visit.

Fans of contemporary art will be glad of the opportunity to view some works in the centre of Prague, but others may not like many of the pieces and will attend purely to see how dilapidated buildings were allowed to become under communism.

Many buildings in Prague have now been meticulously restored, so the Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace will give you a fairly unique insight into how badly wonderful, historic buildings were treated.

In other words the building is an integral part of this art exhibition and the intriguing combination of the two will continue to attract a lot of visitors.

Many works were produced specifically for the building, by such artists as Ugo Rondinone, Jiří David and David Černý.

There are many rooms to explore. An old car is the only exhibit in one large room, where decaying frescos line the ceiling and a large chandelier hangs down. In another room a sofa is made from a waste container.

Then there is a stuffed horse, statues, a body in a blue tank, large guns and lots of paintings and sketches.

Many of the exhibits would not be too interesting in another space, but in this dilapidated once glorious building, they blend into the very fabric of the rooms.

Artbanka Museum of Young Art (AMoYA) has been established by Artbanka, a non-for-profit project supporting young art. The stated aim of AMoYA is to help diverse and innovative activities in contemporary art to find their way to a Czech as well as international audience, and to be perceived, supported and seen in this context. By placing this art exhibition on the busiest pedestrian street in the city, they are achieving this.

As an aside, the history of the Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace reveals that it was also previously used to display the work of young artists, as early as the 19th century, so the tradition continues.