Křehký Mikulov Brings Collectible Design and a First Glimpse of This Year’s Designblok
1. 5. 2025
Now in its thirteenth edition, the Křehký Mikulov Festival of Collectible Design, organized by the Regional Museum in Mikulov and the Křehký brand, will once again take over the castle grounds and various exhibition venues across Mikulov. Visitors can explore new works by dozens of Czech and international artists and designers—including porcelain, glass, applied arts, and for the first time, handwoven tapestries. The program will also feature student showcases, creative workshops led by designers, talks, discussions, and family-friendly activities such as concerts, a pétanque tournament, and a Sunday hike and picnic at Svatý kopeček. Taking place from 23–25 May 2025, the festival’s exhibitions and programs are free of charge. Some exhibitions at Mikulov Castle, the House of the Wild Man, and the Stucco Hall will remain open until 1 June 2025.
The Křehký collection—known for spotlighting emerging talents—will debut new works by Alena Agafonová and Arťom Nurvan. Agafonová’s Doma [Home] series tells a moving story through illustrated plate décor, while Nurvan’s Bezstarostnost [Carefree] features limited-edition, hand-shaped porcelain candleholders. Both are students of ceramics and porcelain in Ústí nad Labem and both are international artists living in the Czech Republic. Their work was selected from a large pool of emerging artists represented in the student section by studios from Bratislava, Plzeň, Prague, and Ústí nad Labem.
A rare drawing by Czech artist Josef Bolf has been reinterpreted by the Křehký brand and Olgoj Chorchoj studio into a glass vase titled Ona [She], produced in a limited edition of 12 at the Květná 1794 glassworks. “Translating Josef’s fragile two-dimensional sketch into a three-dimensional glass object with such thin walls proved to be a real challenge,” said Michal Froněk, designer and co-founder of Olgoj Chorchoj.
Designer, educator, and porcelain master Antonín Tomášek will present a new series of mugs titled Islas Věstonice, incorporating drawings of the Venus of Dolní Věstonice by acclaimed Czech illustrator Michal Bačák. Bačák also created this year’s festival visual, inspired by the 100th anniversary of the Venus’ discovery. “To me, Křehký Mikulov marks the start of the most beautiful season—at my most beloved place and with my favorite people. It’s the transition from spring to summer, when peonies bloom—those colors inspired this year’s illustration,” Bačák explained. His artwork also adorns Křehký's most popular products, such as the Naše květena vase collection and the Chudá sada dining set. The theme will also be echoed in the Regional Museum’s exhibition Druhý život Venuše [The Second Life of Venus], part of which will be on view in the castle during the festival.
The main exhibition, Křehkost: Hodiny a hodiny [Fragility: Hours and Hours], will feature a dialogue between two artists: Czech ceramicist Eva Pelechová and French textile artist Élise Peroi. Their work will occupy the Hall of Ancestors (Gajdoš Hall). “Élise’s dreamlike, fragile works spatially and conceptually complement Eva’s ceramic vessels. Their dialogue subtly challenges the Western stereotype of ‘art’ as ambitious and spiritual (and typically male) versus ‘craft’ as domestic, functional, and feminine. The artists elevate the value of craft, placing it firmly in today’s artistic context through fine material details and masterful execution,” said Denisa Šedivá, co-curator and brand manager of Křehký.
Also exhibiting are Salim Issa and David Ševčík—self-taught ceramicists whose unique works hold their own against well-established names. A fresh conceptual approach will come from jeweler, designer, and artist Zdeněk Vacek. His exhibition Eidolon, curated by Jan Dotřel of Gallery Kvalitář, explores the human body and offers a preview of a larger show that will be unveiled in autumn at the Designblok festival at Prague’s Museum of Decorative Arts.
As in past years, the Dům U Divokého muže [House of the Wild Man] will showcase student work from three ceramic and porcelain studios—this year from Plzeň, Ústí nad Labem, and Bratislava. This exhibition often serves as a springboard for selecting young talents for the Křehký collection. Prague’s UMPRUM will present a special raku-firing workshop using traditional Japanese techniques. This year’s Saturday workshop offerings are broader than ever, including porcelain painting in Daniel Piršč’s studio, a rammed-earth building workshop led by Studio JanskyDundera and the collective kolemhlíny—finalists of the 2024 Czech Grand Design Awards. Tickets are available via goout.net. Visitors can also support student exhibitions by generating electricity on exercise bikes in the Orange Bike zone, a project by the ČEZ Foundation supporting student studios in Plzeň and Ústí nad Labem.
“Křehký is a brand, a gallery, and a festival. Designers and artists receive a simple brief: create something for Křehký—something you’d love to own or give to someone you love. We collaborate with world-renowned designers and emerging talents alike. One path offers creative freedom to the established; the other uplifts promising new voices. For this year’s Křehký Mikulov, we’ve prepared a wave of premieres: the She vase by Josef Bolf and Olgoj Chorchoj, new work by Agafonová and Nurvan, and unique pieces by Eva Pelechová. I’m thrilled with what’s new in our collection and look forward to seeing our collectors and friends again at the festival,” said Jana Zielinski, co-founder of Křehký and co-curator of the festival.
Thanks to close collaboration with the city of Mikulov, local institutions will also join the program. Galerie Závodný will offer guided tours of Papírové reliéfy [Paper Reliefs], while Denisa Krausová presents large-scale paintings in the Štukový sál [Stucco Hall]. Two Mikulov-born artists, Tereza Brichtová and Michaela Vrbková, will also exhibit at the castle. Tereza will show three large-format watercolors from her Tereza and Giardino series, a reflection of her inner landscape; Michaela will present ephemeral crocheted objects and embossed prints from her New Ordinary series. Several locations throughout Mikulov will be part of the festival map. “It’s wonderful how the festival has expanded beyond the castle and throughout the town, nudging us to see familiar places with open minds and hearts,” said Petr Kubín, director of the Regional Museum in Mikulov, who co-founded the festival 15 years ago alongside Jana Zielinski, Jiří Macek, and Daniel Piršč.
The exhibition program will be complemented by traditional side events: a festive Friday opening with live music by Marcell and DJ Mardoša; Saturday PechaKucha presentations by exhibiting designers in Sala Terrena; and an Artist Talk with Élise Peroi and Eva Pelechová. A family picnic in the castle gardens with music from Rosen Trio and a pétanque tournament—with a trophy by Milan Pekař from the Křehký archive—will add to the fun. There will also be an afterparty hosted by Cirque.menu. En route to Mikulov on Friday, 23 May at 15:00, guests can join a guided tour of the Vzhůru! [Up!] exhibition with Jan Plecháč, Czech Grand Design’s 2023 Grand Designer of the Year, at the Moravian Gallery’s Museum of Decorative Arts in Brno. On Sunday, 25 May at 15:00, a guided tour of Záznam mizení [Trace of Disappearance] by Czech Grand Design’s 2024 Designer of the Year Kateřina Handlová will take place at the Jurkovič Villa in Brno.
The festival is open to professionals, design lovers, families, friends, and anyone looking for a culturally rich and welcoming weekend. It is held in partnership with the Regional Museum in Mikulov and supported by the South Moravian Region, T-Mobile, Škoda Auto, the BLÍŽKSOBĚ Foundation, the ČEZ Foundation, and Šílová Winery. Main exhibitions are on view during the festival weekend, 23–25 May 2025. Exhibitions at the House of the Wild Man, Zámek Mikulov Circuit B, and the Stucco Hall will remain open until 1 June 2025. With the exception of workshops, all exhibitions and programs are free of charge.
