QUBUS: APPENDIX

Curator: Marcela Straková
Graphic design: Matúš Buranovský (MBP)
Collaboration: Jakub Berdych Karpelis (Qubus Design Studio)

The installation Qubus: Appendix in the foyer of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague presents a selection of light fittings, an object, and a video that represent a lesser-known aspect of the work of Qubus and its founder, the sculptor and designer Jakub Berdych Karpelis. It also operates as a supplement to the retrospective exhibition Qubus: The Beautiful Beast / Boj s krásou.

The objects on display illustrate a rich variety of different media and approaches – from a prototype to a paraphrase of an iconic chair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, from a pendant lamp from a collector’s series of lights made from unfinished crystals to a readymade that opens a dilemma between function and expression. The installation underlines themes that have long been key for Qubus’s work: experimenting with materials, working with ambivalence, and shifting the boundaries between design and fine art. A three-channel video called The Obsession Smugglers extends the installation and the Qubus studio’s portfolio, adding a performative layer while simultaneously reflecting on an obsession with creativity as one of the main motors behind the studio’s approach.