dizajn.sk

The History, Present, and Future of Slovak Design

The vibrant history of design in Slovakia can still surprise with a forgotten prototype, a hand-crafted poster draft, or a product sketch that never made it into mass production. Contemporary Slovak design and applied art successfully present new paths to their own identity while reflecting current social issues. Their future is shaped by technological innovation and the latest opportunities to experiment with creative potential, form, and material, said Mgr. art. Maroš Schmidt, Director of the Slovak Design Center.

The Museum of Design is opening the second historical exhibition of Slovak design. The exhibition dizajn.sk (design.sk) presents a curatorial selection of representative, timeless, and unique works of Slovak design from the 20th and 21st centuries, primarily from the collections of the Slovak Design Museum.

The core motif of the dizajn.sk exhibition is the stories of Slovak design, told through individual works from diverse design spheres. They reveal fragments of creative processes and the ideas of the authors as they unfold against the backdrop of their time. A key element of the exhibition is a display system composed of a series of upcycled lightboxes, which, even in a figurative sense, illuminate iconic works of Slovak design.

“Design in Slovakia is made up of countless ‘small’ stories—ideas, experiments, the varied fates of authors and manufacturers, and also of people who use design, think about it, and live with it. Woven through these are the ‘big’ stories: the rhythm of the times, the voice of society, and the energy of the spaces in which design emerges. Our exhibition is an invitation to listen to and follow these narratives—we believe this is how the history and present of design will become part of further stories for the future,” said Mgr. Silvia Seneši Lutherová, PhD., Deputy Director of the Slovak Design Center for Expert Affairs.

Design in Slovakia is a living organism that constantly changes, grows, and evolves. A defining feature of the new exhibition at the Museum of Design is its curatorial dynamism, which, through the ongoing rotation of exhibits in modest spaces, allows for the presentation of the latest acquisitions and works resonating with the National Design Award, as well as responses to significant anniversaries of Slovak design figures. In cooperation with various departments of the Slovak Design Center, the exhibited objects come to life through guided tours, discussions with designers, manufacturers, theorists, and thematically rich accompanying programs for a broad public planned in the Design Club. Additional information and contexts are complemented by professional journals and publications in the Design Reading Room and the LOMA Materials Library. The exhibition also has an extended online form—on the website of the Slovak Design Center—where more can be learned about the works, personalities, and manufacturers.

“Supporting design is for us an investment in cultural heritage as well as a creative future that significantly shapes society. Design is an everyday part of our lives—it influences how we live, how we work, and how we feel. We believe that the exhibition dizajn.sk will offer visitors not only a look into history but also a source of inspiration, demonstrating that Slovak design can create beauty and functionality in one,” said Ing. Anna Macaláková, Director of J&T BANKA in Slovakia.

The ceremonial opening of the exhibition dizajn.sk will take place on September 17, 2025, at 6:00 PM.
Location: Museum of Design, Hurban Barracks, Kollárovo nám. 10, Bratislava.
Guided tour: September 17, 2025, at 5:00 PM.
Free admission.

Opening hours of the exhibition: from September 18, 2025, Tuesday–Sunday, 2:00 PM–6:00 PM.

Exhibition team of dizajn.sk
Curator and co-curators: Maroš Schmidt, Silvia Kružliaková, Silvia Seneši Lutherová, Gabriela Ondrišáková, Júlia Deáková, Klára Prešnajderová.
Expert collaboration: Simona Janišová, Adam Kysler, Vojtěch Straka.
Architectural design and exhibition implementation: Peter Liška, Matúš Lelovský.
Visual and graphic design: Peter Liška, Matúš Lelovský.
Technical collaboration: Alžbeta Lišková, Ján Jánoš, Robert Paršo.
Exhibition production, public programs, and media contact: Gabriela Rybáriková, muzeumdizajnu@scd.sk.
Photography and digital content: SMD archive.

Organizers
Slovak Design Center.
Slovak Design Museum.

With support from
Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic.

Partners
General advertising partner of SDC: J&T BANKA.
Main partner of SDC: Antalis.
Partners of the dizajn.sk exhibition: Slovnaft and CEF (Central European Foundation).
Exclusive media partner of SDC: Designum.
Main media partner of SDC: Refresher.
Media partner of SDC: Citylife.

List of exhibiting authors
Rudolf Altrichter, Oto Bachorík, Igor Balgavý, Miloš Balgavý, Pavol Bálik, Ľudovít Barát, Andrej Barčák, Veronika Barrera, Michaela Bednárová, Marcel Benčík, Anton Bendis, Tomáš Berka, Vladimír Bezák, Štefan Bílik, Johanna Biľak Balušíková, Peter Biľak, Milan Bíroš, Pavel Blažo, Barbora Bohušová, Martin Brezina, Martin Bu, Mária Bujňáková, Matúš Buranovský, František Burian, Pavol Capík, Matúš Cepka, Ján Cina, Miroslav Cipár, Ladislav Csáder, Viktória Cvengrošová, Ján Čalovka, Andrej Čanecký, Samuel Čarnoký, Rastislav Čerešňa, Ivan Čobej, Marián Čunderlík, Ondrej Čverha, Igor Didov, Nikola Djurek, Jozef Dóka Jr., Emil Drličiak, Virgil Droppa Sr., Marián Drugda, Andrea Ďurianová, Štefan Dzurenda, Ján Filípek, Ivan Galdík, Aurélia Garová, Jozef Gašparík, Ladislav Gatial, Ondrej Gavalda, Ivan Gavenda, Peter Gerhát, Andrej Gürtler, Michal Hanula, Jozef Havlík, Vlasta Hegerová, Vlastimil Herold, Michal Hlaváč, Matúš Hnát, Zdeno Hogh, Viktor Holešťák Holubár, Karol Hološko, Marcel Holubec, Julie Kováčiková Horová, Viliam Chlebo, Michaela Chmelíčková, Pavel Choma, Ferdinand Chrenka, Milan Chvíla, Patrik Illo, Simona Janišová, Ján Jánoš, Ondrej Jób, Sylvia Jokelová, Dušan Junek, Jozef Kamas, Lukáš Karaba, Václav Kautman, Roman Kišš, Andrej Kolenčík, Ján Kopjar, Stanislav Koreň, Žofia Kosová, Pavol Košťan, Zdeněk Kovář, Peter Kramár, Andrej Krátky, Júlia Kunovská, Lucia Lehrer, Matúš Lelovský, Ľubomír Longauer, Lívia Lörinczová, Palo Macho, Dušan Manduľák, Ľubomír Markusek, Juraj Marth, Branislav Matis, Ján Meisner, Marek Menke, Juraj Mihalík, Martin Mistrík, Pavlína S. Morháčová, Svetozár Mydlo, Július Nagy, Miloš Nemec, Peter Olah, Daniela Olejníková, Ján Ondrejovič, Ľubomír Ontkóc, Ladislav Pagáč, Štěpán Pala, Ivana Palečková, Filip Paldia, Robert Paršo, Slávka Pauliková, Daniel Peter, Martin Peťovský, Tomáš Písecký, Jozef Pokorný, Eva Polgary, Jakub Pollág, Ivan Polonský, Marián Polonský, Áron Pongó, Ivan Popovič, Eva Potfajová, Dana Prekopová, Bohumír Prihel, Drahomír Prihel, Marika Raček, Erika Remencová, Alojz Riškovič, Mária Rojko, Andrea Rolková Pinková, Karol Rosmány, Zdeněk Rossmann, Vladislav Rostoka, Dagmar Rosůlková, Zoltán Salamon, Ľubica Segečová, Jozef Staník, Stanislav Stankoci, Juraj Steinhubel, Aleksandra Stencel, Juraj Straka, Silvia Sukopová Lovasová, Jozef Sušienka, Jindřich Šafařík, Barbora Šajgalíková, Eva Šebová, Štefan Ševčík, Miroslav Škriniar, Ivan Štěpán, Mária Štraneková, Ján Šuchaň, Viktor Tabiš, Jaroslav Taraba, Pavol Thurzo, Michal Tornyai, Adam Tóth, Dezider Tóth, Eva Trachtová, Tibor Uhrín, Anna Ulahelová, Miloš Urbásek, Ivan Urda, Imrich Vanek, Milan Veselý, Linda Viková, Ján Vikrut, Vojtech Vilhan, Zoltán Visnyai, Marián Višňovský, Dušan Voštenák, Matej Vojtuš, Karol Weisslechner, Anton Zetocha, Askold Žáčko.

List of exhibiting studios, ateliers, publishers, and companies
Absynt Publishing, Allt Studio, Ateliér Hora, Baobab Publishing, Calder Design Community, Čierne diery (NGO), Dries Van Noten, IOKO Studio, Juran z Modry, mayamay, Mladé letá Publishing, Studio PAAM, Pergamen Studio, Pravda Publishing, Puojd, Project M1 s. r. o., RONA a.s., Slovart Publishing, Teplické oblátky, Tri v jednom, zeitgeist.limited.