Studio VAARO

KRUPA ART GALLERY

wroclaW, poland (Competition Entry)

This intervention for the Krupa Art Gallery lobby is comprised of a custom full-height movable curtain that traces the path of the lobby walls, and makes its way in front of the mezzanine and around the elevator. Like the loose and organic sketches of Strzemiński (an artist represented by the gallery), the curtain’s pleats and fluid form are kinetic in nature and organize the lobby and its functions by simultaneously defining space and providing a dynamic backdrop. The light fabric of the curtains will move as air and people flow through the space, and with the user’s touch. Additionally, the proposed curtain fabric has a sheer and transparent weave that allows for a certain amount of transparency to the walls and elements behind it. These, like the walls of Strzemiński’s Neoplastic Room, will be painted with striking colors, patterns and geometric shapes that can be modified over time according to the curators’ wishes. The kinetic curtain can be pulled back and reconfigured to expose more of the walls, if the gallery chooses to exhibit certain pieces in the lobby, or can be fully deployed to create an inviting, atmospheric and holistic space for daily activities and special events. Inspired by Strzemiński’s distinct font, and by the Krupa Gallery logo in particular, the curtain is cut away in a curvaceous and dynamic way in several key places - the reception desk, the lift and stairs - thus always revealing even in its closed state some of the colored walls and elements behind it. 

Team: Aleris Rodgers, Francesco Valente-Gorjup