In detail: Okolo’s Prague show pays tribute to modernist architecture

Architecture and design curator and writer Adam Štěch is passionate about 20th-century architecture. His work has always been inspired by extensive trips across Europe – and beyond – in search of hidden modernist gems (many of which have featured in the pages of Wallpaper*). Now, Štěch teamed up with graphic designers Jan Kloss and Matěj Činčera to put together a new show at the Prague Academy of Arts and Design, presenting and celebrating his finds.

Going through his large photographic archive of modernist architecture, which he developed organically through ten-years’ worth of travels, Štěch created an atlas of architectural and interior details. Lighting, seating, storage, tables, railings, doors, windows and more are presented in the exhibition through photos carefully arranged on a long table. These items not only represent a meticulous study of modernist detailing, but also ‘tell stories of the versatile skills of the modernist architects’, explains Štěch. His discoveries come from all across the globe – a large part from Europe, but also Australia, America and Asia. 

Founding members of the Okolo collaborative, a creative group established in 2009 that focuses on design in all its forms, Štěch, Kloss and Činčera are no strangers to creating beautiful and informative displays. ‘Homage To Detail’ is no different. Spanning hundreds of examples and revealing work by lesser-known architects, this is a captivating exhibition, which was first presented in London as ‘Objects of Refinement’. This show is even bigger and better. ‘We are very pleased to present an extended version of the exhibit on our home soil in the UM gallery,’ adds Štěch.