The Chemistry Gallery

The Chemistry Gallery is a Prague-based commercial gallery operating since 2008 that started its activities in an apartment space at U Kanálky 4 in Vinohrady. Its founders Petr Hájek and Martin Kámen intended the gallery to focus on graffiti and street art, but the concept later changed towards the presentation of young and emerging artists. The Chemistry Gallery is characterized by constant movement that results not only in the gallery’s frequent change of location, but also in its broad, multidisciplinary focus through its accompanying activities. These include, for example, the sale of design or music production, which – in the words of gallery owner Petr Hájek – should serve primarily as additional income for the gallery. (Source: artycok.tv/41892/galeriste-07-petr-hajek, accessed 31 May 2021).

Petr Hájek’s personality is of clear significance to The Chemistry Gallery, especially in terms of his former professional focus. As a trained lawyer, he has experience in the investment and business sphere, where he worked for the Czech Invest Group for several years and then headed the Business Environment and Legislation Department at the Office of the Government. At the time when the gallery was founded, he worked for some time at the PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting company before he left the industry for good and began to focus full-time on the art business. After the departure of his colleague and co-founder Martin Kámen in 2009, Petr Hájek remained the sole programmer and artistic director, a position he holds to this day. The managerial and entrepreneurial character of The Chemistry Gallery is evident not only from the aforementioned accompanying activities, which included the opening of the now defunct The Chemistry Design Store or the artistic production of The Chemistry Brothers offering tailor-made creative content, but also from 2016 onwards the systematic and active participation in art fairs abroad (Art Basel, Art Cologne, Scope New York and others).

After two years in Vinohrady, the gallery moved in 2011 to the newly renovated space U Lužického semináře next to the Charles Bridge, where the aforementioned The Chemistry Design Store later operated. Even here, however, the gallery did not stay for more than two years and in 2012 it moved to Bubenská 1 in Prague 7 to the building of Elektické podniky, where it took up residence in two different locations until 2016. The functionalist spaces were convenient for the gallery, which, in addition to presenting the art of a young generation of contemporary painters and sculptors, often featured music shows that promoted the openings to the level of social events with a rich music programme. Over the years, The Chemistry Gallery’s commercial focus has been apparent in its emphasis on creating a bond between the institution as a party host and the visitors as returning guests. The name of the gallery itself could probably be interpreted in this way, referring to the chemistry that this institution – in the words of its founders – wants to create between the visitors and the displayed art.

Since 2019, The Chemistry Gallery has resided at Ovenecká 17 in Prague 7. The two-storey space near Letenské náměstí Square, is dominated by exhibitions in the form of a dialogue between two artists; among the authors who have been presented here were Jan Uldrych and Lukáš Novák, Jakub Uksa and Kryštof Rybák, Filip Kůrka and Matouš Háša, and Lucie J. Skřivánková and Patrik Adamec. The duos are always chosen to create a combination of two-dimensional and spatial media, in this case paintings/photographs with sculptures and design objects.

The Chemistry Gallery’s conception narrative revolves mainly around the young age of the presented artists. Among the gallery’s long-term collaborators are Alžběta Josefy, Alžběta Jungrová, Ira Svobodová, Filip Kůrka, Jan Vytiska, Lubomír Typlt, Sadofsky & Trantina, Tomáš Němec, Tomáš Jetela and others.

In terms of the gallery’s primarily commercial purpose, it is possible to recognise a programme strategy aimed at covering the widest range of works for a given clientele. The presentation of art and design is often interlaced with accompanying gallery activities and blends into a “sensation on demand”. This has the form of, for example, salons with no significant curatorial intervention or pop-up events at external venues or in collaboration with other music and audiovisual projects, which fits well with the gallery’s floating nature.

2021

Lucie J. Skřivánková, Patrik Adamec – Colorful Downer

Tomáš Jetela – Genius noci

Marek Šilpoch – Křehkost kontextu

2020

Filip Kůrka, Matouš Háša – Stopa hada

Sadofsky a Trantina – Víra a električtí psi

22:22 3 (Jan Uldrych, Zdeněk Trs, Jan Mikulka, Michal Ožibko, Alžběta Josefy, Jakub Hubálek, Aleš Brázdil a Jan Petrov)

2019

Just Kids (Michal Cimala, Bára Prášilová, Tomáš Jetela, Matouš Háša, Jiří Marek, Jakub Janovský, Jan Vytiska, Alžběta Jungrová, Filip Kůrka, Adéla Janská, Nikola Emma Ryšavá, Vojtěch Kovařík, Petr Malina, Lubomír Typlt, Tadeáš Kotrba, Michal Škapa, Tomáš Němec, Aleš Brázdil, Richar Štipl & Josef Zlamal, Argišt Alaverdyan, Petr Gruber, Patrik Kriššák, Martin Böhm, Robert Carrithers, Patrik Adamec, Jan Olt, Ladislav Vlna, Martin Herold)

Jan Uldrych – Kořeny / Lukáš Novák

Diktát podmínek (Jonáš Czesaný, René Hábl, Kateřina Komm, Markéta Korečková, Igor Korpaczewski, Jiří Marek, David Pešat, Zbyněk Sedlecký, Gabriela Slaninková, Pavel Šmíd)

Jakub Uksa – Sequence Travel / Kryštof Rybák

2018

Dancing People Are Never Wrong (Jan Uldrych, Tomáš Němec, Jakub Janovský, Lubomír Typlt, Zdeněk Trs, Michal Škapa, Jakub Nepraš, Patrik Kriššák, Adéla Janská, Vojtěch Kovařík, Jan Vytiska, Tomáš Tichý, Petr Lorenz, Lucie Jindrák Skřivánková, Adam Stanko a Helena Sequens, Nikola Emma Ryšavá, xDog, Martin Böhm, XYZ project, Jan Poupě, Ira Svobodová, Zbyněk Sedlecký, Jakub Uksa, Zeb One, Aleš Brázdil, Jan Petrov, Filip Kůrka, Matyáš Maláč, Namor Ynrobyv, Julius Reichel, Samuel Stano, Alžběta Josefy)

Tomáš Jetela – Prohnilý světec

Stanko Sequens – Shaving of the Apes

10 let Chemistry (Aleš Brázdil, Jan Mikulka, Michal Cimala, Adam Stanko a Helena Sequens, Michal Škapa, Tomáš Němec, Zdeněk Trs, Alžběta Josefy, Jakub Švéda, Jan Uldrych, Pasta Oner, Jan Poupě, Jan Kaláb, Bet Orten, Tadeáš Kotrba, Epos 257, Lubomír Typlt, Jakub Nepraš, Jakub Hubálek, Jakub Janovský, Matěj Olmer, Zbyněk Sedlecký, Jan Vytiska, Ján Vasilko, Ira Svobodová, Tomáš Jetela, Michal Ožibko, Zeb One, Dan Gregor, Lucie J. Skřivánková, Kryštof Hošek, David Kurňavka, Tomáš Tichý, Ondřej Oliva, Václav Misař, Filip Kůrka, Jan Petrov, Tomáš Vavříček, Michal Pustějovský, Petr Lorenz, Jakub Uksa, Patrik Kriššák, Openmindz360, Samuel Paučo, Pavel Příkaský, Sadofsky&Trantina, Matěj Hájek, Pavel Šebek)

2017

Alžběta Josefy - Sběrači Medu

Spectaculare Art Show (Dan Gregor, BLOK_4, Michal Pustějovský , XYZ project, Jan Hladil, Petr Pufler, Gabriela Procházka)

Marek Nenutil - Existenz2

Dávid Kurňavka - Are You Mine?

Michal Ožibko - Mind The Gap

Tomáš Jetela - Modrý delfín

Lucie J. Skřivánková, Jan Nálepa – Lost Paradise

Ján Vasilko - KEometrie (Oslo, Retro a Porno navštívili Brno)

Jan Uldrych - Jeskyně

Jan Zdvořák – Vzor

Chemistry Vášeň (Jan Uldrych, Ján Vasilko, Lucie J. Skřivánková, Tomáš Jetela, Michal Ožibko, Dávid Kurňavka, Marek Nenutil, Alžběta Josefy, Zeb One, Tomáš Němec, Sadofsky&Trantina, Jan Vytiska, Barbora Myslikovjanová, Aleš Brázdil, Tomáš Tichý, XYZ project, Josefína Jonášová, Magdalena Staňková, Barbora Krninská, Veronika Durová, Tomáš Skála, Kryštof Hošek, Ondřej Oliva, Matěj Hájek, Stanko& Sequens, Epos 257, Pavel Šebek, Filip Kudrnáč, Jakub Uksa, Tadeáš Kotrba, Samuel Paučo, Michal Škapa, Jan Mikulka, Zdeněk Trs, Jakub Hubálek, Pavel Příkaský, Pasta Oner, Michal Cimala, Jan Kaláb, Jan Hladil, Pavel Karafiát, Tomáš Vavříček, Ira Svobodová, Václav Misař, xDog, Matěj Olmer)

2016

Tomáš Jetela - Vanitas

Spectaculare Art Show - Otisk hudby (Michal Pustě- jovský, Michal Cimala, Jan Uldrych, Michal Škapa, Jakub Roztočil, Bet Or- ten, Lucie Skřivánková, Matěj Hájek, Tomáš Jetela, Adam Stanko, Zuzana Badinková, Marek Šilpoch a Oliver Torr - xyz project, Jiří Straka a Michal Adamovský, Jan Miko, Filip Pavlík, Tereza Bartůňková a Jan Čtvrtník)

Tomáš Tichý - Pevnost

Aleš Brázdil - Nadtenké klouby

Barbora Myslikovjanová - Holčička z odvrácené strany noci

Jan Vytiska - Tak špatný jsi, jak praví klepy, tak ďábla zveš, až k tobě vejde

Sadofsky, Trantina - GEKW: Umění

Tomáš Němec - Zrcadlo a gauč od maminky

Zeb One - Letters

2015

Samuel Paučo - Entropie od ruky

Tadeáš Kotrba - Schvácen kráčel jsem tmavými houštinami

Marek Kolář, Tomáš Vavříček - Reflektor

Tomáš Němec - Ukradená růže

Pavel Šebek, Jakub Uksa - Události horizontu

Views (Raidr, Empty, Zeb One, Hire, Knife, Plebe + Hanes, HRS164, Obic, Honey, Roke + Pankow, Epos 257, Bior, Michal Škapa -Tron, Pasta Oner, Uruk, Jan Kaláb Point, Masker, Geno, Lee, 518, Tatra, Oliver

a Elis, Wronk)

Masa (Josefína Jonášová, Barbora Krninská, Mag- daléna Staňková, Veronika Durová, Tomáš Skála, Kryštof Hošek, Ondřej Oliva, Matěj Hájek, Adam Stanko a Helena Sequens, Gabriela Matušková, Štěpán Svoboda, Štěpán Kuczman)

Jan Uldrych - Brouk v hlavě

2014

Pasta Oner - Man on Fire

Pavel Příkaský - Dvojité dno

Tomáš Jetela - Hvězdný okamžik

Editions of Light (Prokop Bartoníček, Dan Gregor, Daniel Hanzlík, Jan Hladil, Richard Loskot, Robert Palkovič, Michal Pustějovský)

Openmindz360 - After Dark

22:22 2 (Jan Mikulka, Michal Ožibko, Jan Uldrych, Zdeněk Trs, Aleš Brázdil, Jakub Hubálek, Alžběta Josefy)

Lucie Jindrák Skřivánková - Mata(r)

Epos 257 - Portréty

Michal Škapa - Graffoman

2013

Ira Svobodová, Lucie Skřivánková - Urban

Tomáš Tichý, Ondřej Oliva - Divadlo

Tomáš Vavříček, Jan Hladil, Pavel Karafiát - Videopoly#1

Michal Pěchouček, Martina Holá - Školní loď

Tomáš Jetela - Zloději ptáků

Jan Kaláb - Point / Děravé plány

22:22 (Jan Mikulka, Michal Ožibko, Jan Uldrych, Zdeněk Trs, Aleš Brázdil, Jakub Hubálek, Barbora Kysilková)

Tomáš Němec - Nic než boogie

Michal Cimala - Make War Not Love

2012

Czechoslovak Trophies (Jana Bielikova, Jarmila Mitříková/David Demjanovic, Margaréta Drugdová, Peter Štuller, Žáček Pavek, Leo Macenauer, Lukáš Tomek, Fertilizer, Ondřej Konoupčík, Martina Gajdačová, Vojtěch Veškr- na, Klára Šípková, Karla Olšáková, Kateřina Matěchová - Dechberoucí, Deafmessanger, Antimultivitamin, Kamila Pisaříková, Ondřej Batoušek, Jan Hladil, Nironic, Bernt Williamson)

Tomáš Němec - Slavnost

Samuel Paučo - Snoop Dog

Václav Misař - Skladby

Diplomky 2012 (Tadeáš Kotrba, Jakub Tomáš, Josefína Jonášová, Pav- el Příkaský, Jiří Lauterkranc, Tereza Eisnerová, Kateřina Pěkná, Barbora Chlastáková, Jan Pražan, Martin Vrága, Aneta Valentová, Milan Hajdík, Filip Holeček, Kateřina Sudolská)

Young International Contest of Contemporary Art (YICCA 2012) (Aleksandra Ignasiak, Andi Hila, Uday Chand Goswami, Kai Lin Tan, Viviana Silva Flores, Massimo Arduini, Tony Fiorentino, May Lim, Nina Todorovic, Chiara Quadri, Chiara Raffo, Marialuisa Pastò, Denis Trauchessec, Giovanni Odierna)

Shoot When You Can ... (Pasta Oner, Jan Kaláb, Michal Škapa, Nick Zipper, Openmindz 360, Sasanca, XDog, Hanes, Jakub Uksa (Obic), Epos 257, Matěj Olmer, Chase, Brad Downey)

2011

Aleš Brázdil, Jan Mráz - Strašáci

The Maja - Marie Larroa, Ludmila Smejkalová - Kuxtal Kiímil

Zdeněk Trs, Jan Uldrych - Náhled

Koncentrát IV. (Nikola Čulík, Markus Huemer, Markéta Hlinovská, David Helán, Eugenio Percossi, Lpjt Válka, Michal Pustejovský, Tomáš Merta, Pavel Příkaský, Tomáš Predka, Petr Baláš, Dominik Jirsa, Marek Hlaváč, Illea/Ilona Janáčková, Becky Grajeda, Maja/ Marie Larroa, Tomáš Vaněk, Natsuko Ishikawa, Nina Šošková, Eva Červená, David Hřivňacký, Veronika Neumannová)

Diplomky 2011 (Václav Misař, Tomáš Němec, Tomáš Tichý, Krystof Hošek, Nikola Čulík Samuel Paučo, Marcela Mikulková, Dušan Váňa, Zuzana Mašínová, Ondřej Batoušek, Petr Mutina, Ján Labant, Ludmila Pacalajová)

Pasta Oner - Peep Show

Dave McKean - Možnosti jsou nekonečné

Tomáš Němec - Stůl jednoho kluka

Jan Vytiska, Pavla Malinová, Tomáš Prchal – Next Targets

Jan Kaláb, Pasta Oner, Michal Škapa – Boutique

Samuel Paučo, Tomáš Vavříček, Julius Reichel, Marek Číha – Chemistry Abs

2010

Jiří Grus, Lela Geislerová – G + G

Lucie Skřivánková - Nepatrné výbuchy

Damien Mitchell - Guerilla exhibitions

Tomáš Jetela, Klára Vystrčilová - Next Targets

Chase - Kokoro power

Matěj Olmer - Srdce bledly

Claudio Garrudo - Borderline

Jan Miko - miKOMIKomiko

2009

Barbora Maštrlová - Poločas rozpadu

Václav Misař, Tomáš Absolon – Next Targets

Michal Ožibko - Universerum

Best of Klausury (Petra Řimalová, Václav Misař̌, Jiří Bouma, Igor Hosnedl, Tomáš Jetela, Jiří Topínka, Martin Kochan, Eliška Fialová, Tomáš Vavříček, Radeq Brousil, Tadeáš Podracký)

Jan Kaláb, Pasta Oner, Masker, Poupě - Markéta Urbanová - Černá

Funkfu, Pasta Oner, Jan Kaláb - Point, Michal Škapa – Tron - Storage

Lucie Skřivánková - Nepatrné výbuchy

Matěj Olmer - Srdce bledly

Barbora Maštrlová - Poločas rozpadu

2008

Joao Galrao - After Hours