QUBUS: THE BEAUTIFUL BEAST

Exhibition curators: Iva Knobloch, Marcela Straková, Radek Wohlmuth
Artist’s installation: Jan Fabián
Visual collaboration: Jakub Berdych Karpelis
Graphic design: Kristina Ambrozová

Qubus: The Beautiful Beast is the first comprehensive exhibition of the work of this independent Czech design house and studio. It presents the complete Qubus portfolio and all of its collections from 2002–2025, together with original collector’s items, limited editions, prototypes and architectural projects. Founded in 2002, Qubus is a phenomenon that encompasses a design house, a studio, a showroom, a design shop, a lifestyle and a mindset. With its characteristically unorthodox approach, Qubus has been shaping perceptions of design for almost a quarter of a century now. Based at Rámová 3 in Prague’s Old Town, Qubus was also the first design shop to be founded by the designers themselves since the revolution. Its luxury collectibles and designer everyday products are well-known for their imaginative designs that push the boundaries of personal taste with irony, humour and intellectual engagement. Qubus is typified by its guiding principle of making the ordinary special, as well as its use of traditional materials such as glass and porcelain, where Qubus collaborates with local workshops and craftsmen to create products of high artisanal quality. All Qubus products are made by hand in Bohemia. Today Qubus is a strong and well-established brand, not just in the local context but also in the international design world.

A Czech and English catalogue will be published for the exhibition, together with a book of essays by leading experts.

At its inception Qubus was a synonym for the new wave of Czech design that emerged at the turn of the millennium. Qubus was founded in 2002 by the artist, sculptor and designer Jakub Berdych Karpelis (1971), who invited Maxim Velčovský (1976), a graduate of Prague’s Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, to work with him. The duo were behind the opening of the Qubus showroom and the first design shop in the Czech Republic, and together they headed Qubus until 2009. Since 2010 Jakub Berdych Karpelis has been its artistic director and lead designer.

Over the years Qubus has built a community of fans, and it has invited other artists, designers and curators to work with it. The Qubus portfolio includes solo and collaborative works by ceramicists Milan Pekař and Antonín Tomášek, artists Karel Štědrý and Petr Dub, illustrator Silvie Luběnová, fashion designer Lenka Kohoutová and her Cockerel label, and other creators. Qubus Design Studio has also curated selections for shows presenting Czech design abroad, and it has designed and installed exhibitions and displays, as well as working on interior design. Qubus features in collections in the Czech Republic and other countries, and people associated with Qubus are also involved in teaching, consulting and curatorial work, or are active in fine art. Qubus is both the holder and the creator of a number of prestigious awards in the field of culture, art and design, and it has been behind a series of installations, collections and artworks that are now iconic.

Join Qubus Friends! 

The special Qubus Friends ticket for CZK 500 is valid for up to 5 people. For just CZK 100, it gives group members access not only to the exhibition itself, but also a guided tour following in the footsteps of Qubus through all floors of the museum. There are no restrictions for groups of 5 friends, but it is recommended for like-minded individuals.

QUBUS: APPENDIX presents a selection of four luminaires as a representative probe into a lesser-known facet of the work of Qubus Design Studio and its founder, sculptor and designer Jakub Berdych Karpelis