8. October 2026
Vinohradská 8 will feature a major new public artwork. The winner of the open art competition organised by Penta Real Estate and PSN is the collective Avant Grid with its proposal Palimpsest, which impressed the jury through its sensitive reflection of the site’s history, strong visual concept and ability to connect the past with the future character of the development.
The artwork is inspired by the original fountain featuring a brass sphere suspended on a chain, designed by architect Ivo Loos as one of the landmark artistic elements of the former Transgas complex. The artists reinterpreted this motif as a monumental suspended sphere symbolising the constant transformation of the city, the layering of urban stories and the ongoing dialogue between history and the present day. The title Palimpsest refers to the preservation of traces of earlier layers beneath new ones.
The competition attracted 53 artists and art collectives. Following a two-stage selection process, the expert jury chose Palimpsest by Avant Grid, a team consisting of Štěpán Soukup, Sausan Haj Abdo, Jan Hladil and Kajetán Adler Jablonský.
The artwork will be installed in the newly created public space between the future Vinohradská 8 building and the existing Vinohradská 10 building. It is intended to serve as a landmark within the development while naturally drawing attention to the new pedestrian passage linking Vinohradská, Římská and Rubešova streets.
The competition is part of the activities of the Penta Art platform, which systematically integrates art into Penta Real Estate developments and creates opportunities for both established and emerging artists through open competitions and expert juries. Previous projects include Courage at Nová Waltrovka and Tribute to General Karel Kutlvašr at Nuselský Pivovar.
