The Vector of Poverty exhibition, created by students of FA, explores the role of architecture in aspects of poverty

For three semesters, students of several studios at the Faculty of Architecture of the Brno University of Technology (FA BUT) have been exploring topics related to various aspects of poverty and inclusion, as well as ways in which this highly relevant social issue could be articulated in the field of architecture. Visitors will now have the opportunity to explore the results of their work at the exhibition titled Vector of Poverty, which will be on display at the House of the Lords of Kunštát from March 19 to May 25, 2025. The official opening will take place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 6 PM.

The exhibition addresses the relationship between architecture and poverty, a topic closely linked not only to physical space itself but also to the social, economic, and political aspects of society. “Poverty manifests in architecture in various ways. It can involve a lack of quality housing, limited access to public spaces and services, or social exclusion. Architecture can reinforce poverty, but it can also help alleviate it. It can serve as a tool for social control and segregation, but also as a means of creating an inclusive environment,” says curator Rostislav Koryčánek, who is also active at FA.

The exhibition further explores how architecture influences the lives of people living in poverty and how it can contribute to solving social issues. It presents projects and concepts aimed at creating affordable and dignified housing, revitalizing neglected areas, and promoting social inclusion. The projects on these topics were developed by studios led by Michal Palaščák, Marek Štěpánek and Jiří Tauber, Kristína Richter Adamson and Radek Suchánek, Gabriel Peña, Servie Boetzkes and Radek Brunecký, Barbora Ponešová and Maria Joja, Vojtěch Jemelka, Jan Mléčka, Oleksii Bykov, Jaroslav Sedlák, and Szymon Rozwalka.

The exhibition is complemented by an artistic contribution from Karin Písaříková in the form of two objects. The first is an interactive portal with cleaning brushes, referring to both physical cleansing and metaphorical purification from prejudice. The second object, titled The Table of Abundance, features mechanically driven plates illustrating the continuous cycle of human life and its needs, from which there is no escape.

Vector of Poverty shares a common theme with the exhibition Poverty, which runs until April 24, 2025, at the Gallery of Fine Arts in Havlíčkův Brod and the Horácká Gallery in Nové Město na Moravě. Both exhibitions share the same theme but explore it from different perspectives and in different contexts. Vector of Poverty focuses on the relationship between architecture and poverty, while Poverty examines the topic in a broader social and historical context, emphasizing the reflection of poverty in art from the Baroque period to the present. Together, the two exhibitions create a comprehensive view of the issue of poverty, encompassing its physical manifestations in architecture and urbanism, as well as its cultural and social aspects.

Simultaneously with the Vector of Poverty exhibition, two other new exhibitions will open at the House of the Lords of Kunštát – Artificial Intimacies at G99 and Displaced Water Tank 2 Screens Surround Sound at Vašulka Kitchen Brno. The exhibition is held under the patronage of the Governor of the South Moravian Region, Jan Grolich, and Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, the Government Commissioner for Human Rights. The main media partner of the exhibition is A2.