Thursday, 28th November 2019 at 18.30
Contemporary Slovak Architecture uniting the modern and the organic
guest: Krcho János
host: Andor Wesselényi-Garay: architect, scientific associate the Hungarian Academy of Arts’ Research Institute of Art Theory and Methodology
In September 2018, the Hungarian Academy of Arts’ Research Institute of Art Theory and ∙ Methodology launched a series of lectures on contemporary architecture titled Haza a mélyben (Nation within), aimed at exploring the works of architects from Hungarian communities across the border. The lecture series sought to determine to what extent architectural practice is defined by a conscious or unconscious attachment to national identity.
János Krcho was born in Kassa (Košice), to a family of intellectuals. As an architect, he was greatly influenced by the apartment he grew up in, which was like an island in a sea of socialist block architecture in Kassa in the 50s and 60s. His mentor, Ján Šprlák, was one of the few Slovak architects who managed to avoid designing housing blocks. Krcho had his first experiences in the field of monument protection under Šprlák’s guidance, which was a rare opportunity, as in Slovakia, systematic monument protection research and restoration began only in the eighties, more than twenty years later than in Hungary.
The 90s brought a significant wave of church building and restoration to Slovakia. Krcho worked as a supervisor at the Slovak Institute for Monument Protection in Kassa (until 1998), and later researched and restored several churches, synagogues, castles and mansions. His work focused and continues to focus on finding, researching and restoring decaying monuments and preserving the architectural heritage of his hometown, Kassa. He is also active in the fields of architectural theory and architectural criticism. In addition to design and research, he has been involved in architectural education for decades.
As an architect, János Krcho uses his archaeological, historical, theoretic and practical knowledge and skills to protect Slovakia’s Hungarian heritage.
To register for the lecture, please visit www.mma-mmki.hu.