The partnership between The Emblem Hotel and Are (since Autumn 2015) functions as an exchange of services and knowledge and is based on the philanthropic support of the art community and its necessity for communication within the international context. By creating a self-sustainable and equal economy between the non-profit and commercial sectors, we hope to develop a long-term collaboration that will enable people to learn more about contemporary art, support creative research and help all to communicate, share and create.

International Artists and Curators invited to Prague as part of the Are’s program are guests of The Emblem Hotel. The presentations, talks, and workshops (some of which are located in The Maharal Club and the hotel’s “Living Spaces”) offer an educational and enriching opportunity for the public, the art community, and regular guests of the hotel. The visiting artists and curators are able to share their knowledge and experiences, making connections and future cooperation in Prague and abroad possible.

In order to extend and uphold the relationships between the visiting international artists and the local art community, The Emblem and Are have created an opportunity for the artists to return to Prague in the future. The artists have the option to donate an artwork to the hotel for its emerging Contemporary Art Collection in exchange for complimentary accommodation. This donation not only enriches the hotel environment but also leaves a “trace” of the artist’s presence. This “imprint” becomes relevant documentation of his or her visit to Prague.

The collection opens up to all generations as well as artistic approaches and forms including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, moving image, text-based works or collaborative ideas. The selection advised by Are’s curators aims to assemble the collection upon groups of work from each artist to be able to capture that artist’s practice on a broader scale. On the background of international art selection, the collection should, in the future, open to support mainly young Czech artists.

The Emblem Displays are comprised of a curated series of works exhibited in the hotel that are present for two to three months at a time. As a way to battle stagnation, the displays allow for fluidity, and the artworks circulate, switch places and may change entirely over time. Thus,  The Emblem becomes a unique structure for displaying as well as blending artworks into an inhabited private and public situation. Artworks are present in private guest rooms and the “Living Spaces” that are open to the public for artist talks and discussions related to each display as well as The Emblem’s program of events.

Another aspect of our collaboration is the Library, which is located in the hotel’s Maharal Club and offers a rich source of information about Czech contemporary art, art history, and architecture. Created especially for visiting artists and curators to familiarize themselves with the Czech art context, the library includes artist monographs and books, exhibition catalogs, art history as well as theoretical publications. All of the books in the library have been generously donated by Czech art institutions and publishing houses located in Prague, Brno, and Ostrava. The Library also contains books contributed by visiting artists and curators.

Are’s curatorial team has meanwhile organized a program for guided Art Walks. The Emblem Hotel guests who wish to become familiar with the Czech art scene can sign up to be guided through exhibitions of selected institutions, galleries and off-spaces in Prague by one of Are’s curators. There are five different basic tours, each of which covers different parts of the art scene, but any individual tour upon specific interest is possible and welcome. On each of these tours, guests will be given an opportunity to learn about the recent history of the Czech art scene.

Are is a non-profit art organization founded in 2015 and run by a team of curators based in Prague and Brno. Are organizes research visits and educational events, curates and produces exhibitions, art projects, films and performances to take place locally and internationally. Are cooperates with and throughout academic, cultural and art institutions as well as independent initiatives.

The Emblem Hotel is a Lifestyle hotel that merges the past, present, and future of the historic city into a home for travelers and a haven for locals. The Emblem changes the idea of you “staying at them” to you “staying with them” by becoming a modern take on the traditional home. With 59 rooms, a private members club, a restaurant, and a bar, a spa with a rooftop terrace and state-of-the-art technology, the hotel and its many ‘living spaces’ are dedicated to creating a community. The Emblem is a place for the likeminded from Prague and from abroad to explore, discover and discuss together, and it is redefining the way we travel entirely.