The headquarters of UNES-CO (United Nations Real Life Organization) founded by the artist Kateřina Šedá, has been temporarily relocated to the Vienna. The project addressed the situation of tourism-overloaded cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List and drew our attention to the displacement of everyday life by mass tourism. The main task of UNES-CO was to promote the everyday life of the local population in the centers of the affected cities.

“When I came to Český Krumlov, I was very surprised that hardly anyone lives in the historic center. One of our most beautiful towns suffers from the same problem as Venice and Hallstatt – thousands of tourists stream through the town, but normal life has practically ceased to exist. That’s why I decided to respond to this global problem and find a way to revitalize UNESCO World Heritage cities and breathe the most essential thing – normal life – into them.”

Kateřina Šedá about the UNES-CO project

As part of this site-specific installation curated by Anežka Jabůrková at Czech Centre Vienna, the artist was presenting the results of several months of work by the UNES-CO company in Český Krumlov. Within three months, the company, founded in 2018, offered its 38 employees a salary and accommodation. The required service in return was leading daily life. The project, with which Kateřina Šedá represented the Czech Republic at the 16th International Architecture Biennale in Venice, was accompanied by an extensive survey on the problems of urban development in Český Krumlov.

Kateřina Šedá (1977), one of the most important contemporary Czech artists. She has been active in public space for over 20 years. She often utilizes architecture in her art and works in direct contact with local residents in various places. Her interventions are based on research into the social and behavioral dynamics that are specific to certain, mostly socially excluded, areas. In her projects, she tries to positively influence an existing situation. She promotes functional solutions that bring about change and that can be further developed without additional input on her part, while encouraging participants to break out of their ingrained habits or social isolation.

Kateřina Šedá has received numerous awards for her work, including the Jindřich Chalupecký Prize (Czech Republic), the Essl Award (Austria), the Fluxus Award (Germany), the Contemporary Art Society Award (Great Britain), and the TAKU Production Prize (Finland). Her exhibitions have taken place all over the world, including at documenta 12 in Kassel, Manifesta 7 in Bolzano, and the Venice Biennale. She was the first Czech artist to have a solo exhibition at the Tate Modern Gallery in London.

Vernissage