4. 6. – 19. 7. 2025
Opening: 10. 6. at 6 pm
UM Gallery, UMPRUM, nám. Jana Palacha 80, Prague 1
Individual, Collective. The Topography of the Textile Arts Studio is the latest exhibition at the UM Gallery, dedicated to the history of UMPRUM and commemorating the significant 140th anniversary of its founding. Curators Veronika Soukupová and Markéta Vinglerová focus on the Textile Arts Studio, with a particular emphasis on the 1960s. During this period, a large-format tapestry was created through the collaborative efforts of all the studio's students, under the guidance of Antonín Kybal. Sixty years later, this remarkable piece returns to the place of its origin—UM Gallery, which was originally home to the Textile Arts Studio.
"The exhibition was sparked by the discovery of archival fragments from the studio’s history, dating from the 1940s to the 1960s, preserved at UMPRUM. A significant portion of these materials consists of photo albums meticulously documenting the studio's activities from the beginning of Antonín Kybal’s tenure, who joined the school in 1945. Under his leadership, students undertook a wide range of projects spanning the full spectrum of textile design—including both small-scale and large-format tapestries—guided by Kybal’s credo: 'Tapestries are not designed; tapestries are woven.'" — explain curators and UMPRUM doctoral candidates Veronika Soukupová and Markéta Vinglerová.
The concept of the exhibition is based on the monumental tapestry Natural Wealth of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1965, a work that far exceeds the typical scope of a student project. Mapping its history was made possible by documentary photographs from studio albums, revealing the circumstances and process of the tapestry's creation. Unlike individual studio assignments, it reflects the collective nature of the work promoted in the creation of large-format pieces intended for representative purposes. According to the authentic memories of graduates, the tapestry, with animal and vegetation motifs, was design for the Office of the President of the Republic at Prague Castle. Its concept followed from the previous monumental collective tapestry Czechoslovak Castles and Chateaux, Towns and Nature Reserves from 1957–1958, which was created for the national exhibition at the EXPO 58 World Exhibition in Brussels. The earlier tapestry presented vivid silhouettes of historic architecture, while the later tapestry substitutes these with illustrations of fauna and flora rendered in subdued colors.
What makes this tapestry particularly unique is its rigorously conceived material concept. The artists wove exclusively with natural shades of sheep’s wool—from the deepest black, through greys and browns, to raw and brilliant white. The wool itself was most likely sourced from Czechoslovak farms. This deliberate embrace of local, sustainable materials, coupled with the collective nature of its creation, resonates powerfully with contemporary debates on environmental responsibility and the search for ecologically sustainable lifestyles, community-based practices, and a renewed interest in traditional crafts. In this context, the nature-inspired motif acquires meanings far more nuanced than a straightforward gesture of state representation.
In addition to capturing fascinating details of the weaving process, the photographs reveal the character and atmosphere of the former Textile Design Studio, once located in the space now occupied by the UM Gallery. Exhibiting the tapestry in the very place of its creation—alongside an architectural reinterpretation of the studio’s interior—serves as a symbolic reminder of the history and importance of this educational institution.
The exhibition will be open to visitors at the UM Gallery until July 19th.
Those interested can also participate in the accompanying program of the exhibition:
June 19th at 6 p.m., discussion: "Collective Textiles: Graduates of Kybal's School in Dialogue with the Current Leadership of the UMPRUM Textile Studio": Part of the accompanying program for the exhibition Individual, Collective. Topography of the Textile Arts Studio, graduates of the studio who, under the guidance of Antonín Kybal, participated in the exhibition Tapestry Natural Wealth (1965) will meet with the exhibition curators and the current leaders of the Textile Studio.
Curators: Veronika Soukupová, and Markéta Vinglerová
Exhibition Design: RUINA office
Graphic Design: Rozálie Halířová
Production: Šárka Váňová
Promotion and PR: Kamila Stehlíková
Photos of the installation: Barbora Žentelová
Lender of tapestry: Prague Castle Administration
Restoration of tapestry: (Moravian Tapestry Manufactory) Moravská Gobelínová manufaktura in Valašské Meziříčí | Jana Škařupová, and Dana Dočkalová.
Acknowledgments go to Barbora Patočková and Isabelle D. Pálová from the Art Collections Department of the Prague Castle Administration, Miluška Trachtová and the restorers from the Moravian Tapestry Manufactory, UMPRUM librarian Jiřina Dejmková, and the textile artists who contributed to the creation of the tapestry and generously shared their valuable memories.
The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague.
