DESIGN FORUM 2026: New Materialists

The Slovak Design Center and agrokomplex NATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER invite you to visit the student project showcase Design Forum 2026. The exhibition will present design works by students from four universities, selected by curator Maroš Schmidt. The theme of the 27th edition focuses on new materials, their research, and their practical application.

The exhibition New Materialists presents the results of research into experimental and traditional materials by students of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, the Technical University in Košice, the Technical University in Zvolen, and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. The participation of students from universities across Slovakia promises original approaches to the use of materials in specific objects and interior design elements addressing product durability, material responsibility and ecology, health safety, new forms of aesthetics, innovative functional properties, recycling, local production, and social impact.

Material is one of the key attributes determining the aesthetic and functional quality of products and accessories in interior design. The selection of an appropriate material can elevate a formal solution to a higher level, improve the qualitative properties of a product, or reduce its environmental impact. In the evaluation of design, material often plays a decisive role, as it frequently carries the defining qualities of a work.

The exhibition will also feature two presentations of material libraries.

The LOMA Material Library, established in 2019 at the Slovak Design Center as part of the Interreg programme – Design and Innovation, maps, researches, and provides access to materials important for design practice. It contains both traditional and innovative materials, including metals, plastics, composites, biomaterials, bacterial cellulose, and others. One of its latest additions is a new product developed by Slovnaft under the trade name Primolen RGF30-600 TST, successfully created on the basis of polypropylene intended for 3D printing applications.

The Textile Materials Library collects samples of textile and hemp-based materials, as well as companies, organizations, and technologies with detailed information and interconnected references. It focuses on companies researching, cultivating, or producing sustainable textile materials, as well as organizations bringing together sectors of the textile industry.

The exhibition is part of the 34th edition of the furniture, home accessories, design, and architecture fair.

Exhibition Organizers

• Slovak Design Center
• agrokomplex NATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER, state enterprise

Exhibition Curator

• Maroš Schmidt, SCD

Curatorial Collaboration

• Miroslav Debnár (AFAD)
• Elena Farkašová (TUZVO)
• Sylvia Jokelová (AFAD)
• Michala Lipková (FAD STU)
• Zuzana Šebeková (AFAD)
• Tibor Uhrín (FA TUKE)

Exhibiting Authors

Martina Bajteková, Martina Bartolenová, Radoslav Bielek, Barbora Chudá, František Dorko, Martin Sombathy, Marian Dorušinec, Žofia Horová, Jana Ivaničová, Ema Lujza Juričková, Michaela Kaliská, Tímea Kepová, Patrik Knoblich, Dorota Krkošková, Dorota Krkošová, Tomáš Luknár, Peter Majerníček, Zdenka Manenová, Adrián Mikloš, Darina Mikušková, Silvia Mikulcová, Roman Miškov, Edgar Ondroušek, Soňa Otiepková, Katarína Plačková, Natália Poláčková, Barbora Straková, Lucia Suchá, Štefánia Suchodolinská, Tomáš Takács, Matej Záborský, Dominika Žáková, Collective of authors / students of the Department of Furniture and Interior Design at TUZVO within the course Materials in Design Practice

Exhibition Design and Visual Identity

• Peter Liška
• Katarína Plačková

Production

• Gabriela Rybáriková

Exhibition Partners

• Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava
• Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
• Technical University in Zvolen
• Technical University in Košice
• Slovnaft, a.s.
• Textile Center 100%

Supported by

• Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic

SCD General Advertising Partner

• J&T BANKA

SCD Main Partner

• Antalis

Exclusive Media Partner

• Designum

Media Partner

• Citylife

Contact

Gabriela Rybáriková
gabriela.rybarikova@scd.sk

Curator

Maroš Schmidt