Křehký Mikulov Festival Comes to Prague for the First Time: Galerie Portheimka Hosts a Sneak Peek of Designblok
12. 6. 2025
The collectible design festival Křehký Mikulov has moved to Prague for the very first time in its full scope. The exhibition Křehký Mikulov DISPLAY, created in collaboration with The Chemistry Gallery and supported by the Prague 5 district, is on view from June 12 to July 27 at the Baroque Portheimka Gallery in Smíchov. It presents the complete exhibition program from this year’s 13th edition of the festival, which traditionally takes place at the end of May at Mikulov Castle and various locations around the town.
The Prague exhibition also features a piece from the Eidolon collection by jeweler, designer, and artist Zdeněk Vacek. His work will be further developed in the autumn as part of Designblok. The festival will present his very first solo exhibition—one of Designblok 2025’s main exhibitions—on the occasion of 25 years of his creative work, hosted at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. The exhibition is curated by Jan Dotřel in collaboration with Gallery Kvalitář and will showcase the transformation of Vacek’s work from jewelry to object art.
This first-ever Prague edition of the festival also brings together French artist Élise Peroi and Czech author Eva Pelechová in a unique dialogue. Their joint installation, titled Fragility: Hours and Hours, combines monumental textile tapestries with delicately modeled porcelain objects, reflecting the intersection of meticulous craftsmanship and contemporary artistic expression. The exhibition also includes selections from the latest collection by the Křehký brand, which has long supported emerging talent. This year, Alena Agafonová debuts with the collection At Home, telling a personal story through printed porcelain plates, and Arťom Nurvan presents a limited series of porcelain candlesticks titled Lightness. Both designers are international students of ceramics and porcelain at the Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, and they stand out in this year’s student section, which also includes studios from UMPRUM in Prague, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia, and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava.
The exhibition also features a limited-edition vase titled Ona (She), featuring a drawing by Josef Bolf, translated into glass in collaboration with Studio Olgoj Chorchoj, Květná 1794 glassworks, and engraver Jára Šára. The result is a unique series of twelve pieces that fuse delicate drawing with precise glassmaking. A new addition to the Prague show is a retrospective of photographer Salim Issa, whose poetic images have significantly shaped the visual identity of the Křehký brand. The exhibition will also include original objects featured in his photographs.
The lineup also includes artists connected to Mikulov – Tereza Brichtová, Denisa Krausová, and Michaela Vrbková. This year’s festival visual, featuring the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, was created by illustrator Michal Bačák to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her discovery. The Venus motif also appears on a limited edition of mugs titled Islas Věstonice by designer Antonín Tomášek and in a series of author prints. The exhibition was curated by Jana Zielinski, Denisa Šedivá, and Petr Hájek. The scenography was created by Josef Tomšej.
“It’s wonderful that, in collaboration with The Chemistry Gallery, we were able to bring this year’s exhibition to those who couldn’t make it to Mikulov. Presenting Élise Peroi’s tapestries and Eva Pelechová’s porcelain in Portheimka Gallery—a space architecturally reminiscent of Mikulov Castle—was a deliberate curatorial decision that was beautifully realized through Josef Tomšej’s scenography. And not only that, the exhibition also includes a retrospective of Křehký’s long-time photographer, Salim Issa. Come and see for yourself,” invited Denisa Šedivá, brand manager of Křehký and co-curator of Křehký Mikulov 2025.
“Křehký is a brand, a gallery, and a festival. Designers and artists are given a simple brief: ‘Create something for Křehký—something you would love to own yourself or give to someone you love.’ Both renowned international designers and emerging talents create for Křehký. These are two paths with the same mission: to offer freedom of creation to established names and to support young designers as they grow. For this year’s festival, we’ve prepared a range of premieres, including the Ona vase—created in collaboration with Josef Bolf and Květná 1794—the latest works by emerging authors Arťom Nurvan and Alena Agafonová, and unique pieces by Eva Pelechová. I’m thrilled with the additions to our collection, and even more so that, thanks to The Chemistry Gallery, we’ve managed for the first time in the festival’s history to bring the full exhibition program to Prague’s Portheimka Gallery,” said Jana Zielinski, co-founder of the Křehký brand, co-curator of the Křehký Mikulov DISPLAY exhibition, and director of Designblok.
As part of the Křehký Mikulov DISPLAY exhibition at Portheimka Gallery, there will also be an accompanying program of creative workshops for children and seniors. These hands-on sessions invite the public to engage directly with the world of design and art. Workshops for children will take place on June 14, 21, and 28, each starting at 3 PM. The senior workshop will be held on June 25 at 3 PM. Participation is free, and those interested can register by emailing eva.hromnik@thechemistry.cz.
The exhibition is open to the public from June 12 to July 27, 2025, daily (except Mondays) from 1 PM to 6 PM at Portheimka Gallery. More information at thechemistry.art and portheimka.cz.
