The Kuzebauch Gallery presents the OFF-GRID Collective at Designblok 2026

At Designblok 2026, the Kuzebauch Gallery will present the OFF-GRID Collective, a Czech-Slovak group of five distinctive artists who approach glass not as a traditional symbol of luxury and formal perfection, but as a living, ever-changing and autonomous material. The project, which was first presented in 2026 at the curated Alcova exhibition during Milan Design Week, is now being showcased by the gallery in a Czech context.

Designblok 2026 will take place from 6 to 11 October, and the theme of its 28th edition is light. You will find the Kuzebauch Gallery in the High Craft section at the Prague Castle Riding Hall.

The OFF-GRID Collective comprises Michaela Spružinová, Ivana Zuskinová, Irena Czepcová, Mila Zila and David Valner. Their diverse artistic approaches are united by a search for new ways of working with glass beyond established notions of craftsmanship, ornamentation and perfect form. They allow the material to grow, deform and succumb to gravity, bearing within it traces of tools, destruction, time and physical experience. The exhibition creates a network of five distinct worlds. Ivana Zuskinová captures the transformation of matter and its inner landscapes, David Valner works with organic growth and natural structures; Mila Zila explores the relationship between glass, light and space; Irena Czepcová blurs the boundary between functional objects and sculptural forms; and Michaela Spružinová, through the use of glass waste and beads, challenges stereotypes of beauty, consumerist fetishes and traditional technological processes.

Sylvia Jokelová’s curatorial concept, developed at Designblok in collaboration with Inka Ličková, presents glass as a medium for personal expression, social commentary and silence. At the same time, it explores themes associated with contemporary glassmaking – from the energy intensity and accessibility of production, through the memory of defunct glassworks, to the search for new forms and approaches. The Kuzebauch Gallery, which has long been dedicated to contemporary artist-made glass, presents the OFF-GRID Collective as a project that broadens our understanding of what glass can be in contemporary design and fine art: not a closed tradition, but a living space for experimentation and dialogue.

Curators: Inka Ličková and Sylvie Jokelová

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