Unnamed Vase ft. Karel Stedry
ABOUT THE WORK
authors: Jakub Berdych Karpelis & Karel Štedrý, 2022
material: hand-blown crystal glass, decal
dimensions: 19 x 34 cm
Limited edition with certificate of authenticity, signed by the authors.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jakub Berdych Karpelis is the co-founder of Qubus Studio. Since its inception in 2002, he has focused on conceptual work in traditional Czech materials such as glass and porcelain. He is credited with the brand's expansion beyond the Czech Republic and the creation of a number of works, complete collections and products now significant for the Qubus brand. Among the most famous projects is the reconstruction of the interior of the Church of St. Bartholomew in Chodovice. His works can be seen not only in Czech but also in world-famous galleries and collections such as Moss Gallery New York or Mint Gallery London, among others. In addition to conceptual and product design, he also works in the field of interior design, architecture and free art. Since 2008 he has been the art director of the gallery store Dox by Qubus at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague.
Painter Karel Štědrý is one of the leading personalities of the generation that entered the Czech art scene during the first decade of the twenty-first century. His work reflects seemingly contradictory sources. We can recognize in her an interest in classical modernism, architecture, but also in pop culture and its specific manifestations such as graffiti, hip-hop, break-dancing and computer games.
Born on 30 January 1985 in Prague. He first studied promotional graphics at the Václav Hollar Higher Vocational School (1998-2003) and then painting in the studio of Stanislav Diviš at the Academy of Arts and Crafts in Prague (2003-2010). He finished the school with a painting series entitled "Let No One Enter", which foreshadowed his further direction within geometric abstraction. In the same year he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, he won the ARSkontakt prize for young artists. While still studying, in 2006, he founded the group Obr. In 2006, he had his first solo exhibition, Architectures, at Galerie 35 m2 in Prague, and since then he has had at least one show of his work a year. In 2008 he participated in the International Art Academy Symposium in Mikulov, in 2012 in symposia in Mikulov and Litomyšl (Young Stars), and in 2017 he was on a creative residency in Hang Zhou, China.
Important is his meeting with Stanislav Kolíbal, which resulted in a close collaboration. When Professor Kolíbal had an exhibition in the Czechoslovak pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 2019, Karel Štědrý helped him with its realisation.
ABOUT THE BRAND
The Qubus brand was founded in 2002 by Jakub Berdych Karpelis together with Maxim Velčovský and in the same year they opened the eponymous brick-and-mortar design shop in Prague's Old Town as the first ever design shop in the Czech Republic. The main idea and motivation of Qubus is to design, produce and present Czech contemporary and conceptual design with wit and unconventionality. A number of now iconic design products, collections and works have been created under the Qubus brand and the Qubus brand, the first on the market at the time, has become one of the most popular design studios in the Czech Republic in its 20 years of operation. Qubus products are characterized by their humour and search for new meanings and contexts.
Qubus designers most often work with traditional Czech materials - glass or porcelain, and their hallmark is a humorous play with morphology and function. Central European sarcasm meets commentary on the world around us in Qubus products. They respond to lifestyles, mirror prejudices and reflect cultural and social themes and trends.
Among the products in the Qubus portfolio, we find luxury and everyday pieces that shape taste and push its boundaries. In addition to conceptual and product design, the studio also executes interior design, architecture and free art projects by Jakub Berdych Karpelis and other artists it invites to collaborate.
