Designer Kateřina Handlová presents her new exhibition, which looks at design as a space for endless creativity, introspection, and the discovery of new meanings. “With this exhibition, I wanted to document my own journey towards inner peace and freedom through my works. A pilgrimage that leads me to accept my femininity, to come to terms with the expectations of others, and with the roles that my surroundings and fate prepare for me. Here in the villa, I also felt the atmosphere of history and the fact that these questions were addressed by generations of girls and women before me, even during the time of Dušan Jurkovič and the women's educational association Vesna,” the author describes her intention.
Kateřina Handlová bases her work on an introspective process, thorough research, and a sensitive approach to the themes. Her creative dive into herself has the character of meditation. “Glass in the interpretation of Kateřina Handlová often transcends its boundaries. It brings new motifs, techniques, added materials, placing archetypal shapes or functional objects into unexpected relational structures, incorporating artistic content into design. Vases, lamps, and mirrors evoke something from original wisdom, from traditions to which Kateřina Handlová turns, from which she consciously or unconsciously tries to capture something as a key to understanding the world and herself. From such an experience, in which feminine sensitivity, relationships, and physicality intertwine, disappearance and permanence can emerge a valuable message. And that is what Kateřina Handlová is trying to convey to us,” adds the curator of the exhibition Michaela Kádnerová. Such an approach may not surprise in a free artist, but it is remarkable in a designer, a creator of designs for serial production.
The exhibition will present both well-known and valued designs of vases and lamps, as well as distinctive authorial works that were created based on the inspiration of the atmosphere of Jurkovič's villa specifically for this occasion.
Kateřina Handlová (*1988) comes from a glassmaking family, which instilled in her from childhood a relationship and responsibility towards the fragile and rare material. She grew up surrounded by art and craftsmanship, and thus her academic paths also led to glass. She completed her university studies in the glass studio of Rony Plesl at the Prague UMPRUM, and with a fresh diploma in her pocket, she began working in film as an assistant costume designer. Fashion continues to inspire her in her glass creations more than the world of product design itself. Later, she designed extensive lighting projects for Lasvit in Dubai for four years, subsequently serving as the chief designer of lighting installations for Swarovski, signed the design of lighting for the Bomma brand, and became, among other things, the author of the medals for the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship. At the same time, she has been serving for the fourth year as the artistic director of the Rückl glassworks in Nižbor, for which she creates designs for vases and table glass. This year, she received the Designer of the Year award at the Czech Grand Design awards.
Basic information about the exhibition Record of Disappearance
- Address: Jurkovičova vila, Moravian Gallery, Jana Nečase 2, Brno
- Date of the event: April 25, 2025 – March 29, 2026
- Website
- Press Center
- Authorial concept: Kateřina Handlová
- Curator of the exhibition: Michaela Kádnerová
- Graphic design: Lukáš Kijonka
- Exhibition partner: Rückl, BMRC Group (Bomma)
- Media partners: Artikl, ArtMap, DesignNews, KAM in Brno
Moravian Gallery in Brno 6 buildings | 1 gallery
