The exhibition project Inventarium brings together two distinctive figures of the contemporary Czech art and design scene – Jakub Berdych Karpelis (1971) and Karel Štědrý (1985). Both artists share a deep respect for craftsmanship, a sensitivity to materials, and an ability to approach form with both lightness and playfulness.
The exhibition is grounded in the motif of the iconic Czech construction kit Merkur, which becomes a structural principle. Using its components, Karel Štědrý creates autonomous sculptural objects. In a dialogue between the two artists, spatial assemblages emerge incorporating elements of Jakub Berdych Karpelis’s authorial lighting objects. Both artists are also inspired by the intellectual legacy of Bruno Munari and his concept of art as craft (Arte come mestiere, 1966), which naturally dissolves the boundaries between applied and fine art.