We sometimes look down on the architectural heritage of the 1990s. We often associate this period with wild parties, relaxed socio-political conventions, and a general optimism that was also reflected in building projects. In reality, the architecture of the time was not as “wild” as we might think—it is better defined by its position between two aesthetic poles: “austerity” inspired by interwar modernism and functionalism, and “disco” in the form of the freely playful postmodernism of the admired West. Today, the architectural community highlights precisely this period’s return to strict proportions, quality materials, and buildings with deliberate character. The wider public, on the other hand, remembers mainly the “disco”: conspicuous shapes, gilded frames, and exhibitions of wealth. But it is both of these perspectives, their interplay and rivalry, that create a fascinating picture of nineties architecture.

The exhibition presented thirty selected buildings constructed in Prague between 1989 and 2004 and tracked the circumstances of their creation: the evolving role of professional associations, the arrival of the first DIY superstores, and how political representatives spoke about architecture. The broader social context of the period was presented through a large-format projection composed of archival materials from Czech Television and a collection of contemporary photographs. Visitors could watch the projection from the formal Olga chairs, designed by Bořek Šípek in the nineties for the Spanish Hall at Prague Castle. Opposite the projection wall was a large timeline highlighting the key moments of the period. It was accompanied by memes, or satirical illustrations by the Dynamický Blok collective, which imitate and ironize the aesthetics of the nineties. The morphology of the period's architecture and design was then recalled in an original way—through a collage of period advertisements.

The exhibition DEVADE: Prague’s Architecture Amidst Austerity and Disco drew on the book of the same name by Matěj Beránek, Jan Bureš, Radek Šrettr Úlehla, and Adéla Vaculíková, published concurrently with the exhibition by IPR Praha.