Exhibitions

For this year’s edition of the festival, we have prepared three exhibitions. The main exhibition, which presents design as a tool for participation and communication, can be visited daily in front of the Zlín Castle. The second exhibition, held at the G18 gallery, focuses on the finalists of the international competition Best in Design 2025, which has been tracking new talents in the fields of Product & Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Communication Design, and Service Design for sixteen years. The third external exhibition, titled Design of Visual Communication in Time and Space, will present graphic works from four involved art universities from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Design of the festival exhibitions: Bára Kolondrová and team
Graphic outputs: Vojtěch Kovařík and team

In Komenského Park near Café 204 and on Náměstí Míru, you will also find KOMA modules with partner content, a chill-out module, and information about the festival.

DIALOG, the main festival exhibition

What forms can a dialogue take? How does it influence our world, and how can we actively shape it? The main festival exhibition, DIALOG, presents design as a tool for participation and communication, connecting different actors and opening space for new perspectives. We don’t perceive dialogue just as an exchange of words but as a dynamic process of interaction – a dialogue between people, technologies, landscapes, and the future. Each type of dialogue offers a different approach to perception. The exhibition is for anyone who wants to reflect on how we can conduct dialogues and use them to understand and design the world around us.

Curators: Ladislava Zbiejczuk Suchá and Roman Sellner Novotný
Exhibition concept: Natálie Vencovská and Ondřej Staněk

Location: Zlín Castle, Soudní 1, 760 01 Zlín
Exhibition dates: May 8 – May 13
Opening hours during the festival: 10 AM – 6 pm
Opening event: Wednesday, May 7 at 8 PM
Accessibility: Czech, English version
Entry: Free

Best of ‘25: Where We Meet.

We’re in a rush. It seems that every day passes too quickly. Where can we find peace? Is there a space that forces us to slow down, lets us breathe, and allows us to perceive ourselves and our surroundings? Can an exhibition be such a space?

“Third places” – unassuming but still important corners outside of our homes and obligations. These are the cafés on the corner, benches in the park, community centers, or galleries full of stories. Spaces that connect, bring people together, and give them a chance to inspire and share. Often staying in the background, this time they step into the spotlight – ready to become a place where familiar faces meet and strangers become friends. The exhibition, subtitled Where We Meet, symbolizes the coming together of thoughts, a celebration of creativity and human stories, whether in digital or physical space. It is not only a presentation of works by young talents from around the world but also an invitation to search for your own “third place” – a refuge where you can experience design and coexist.

Best of ’25: Where We Meet presents unique designer works that have made it to the top spots in the 16th edition of the Best in Design international competition in 2025. From May 8 to May 24, 2025, the gallery becomes a platform for dialogue, connecting young creators, space, and you.

Curators: Bára Kolondrová, Eliška Janečková

Location: G18, Štefánikova 5670, Zlín
Dates: May 8 – May 23, 2025
Opening hours: Daily from 10 AM to 6 PM
Opening event and program with jury members and finalists: Saturday, May 10 at 6 PM
Accessibility: Barrier-free entry, English version
Entry: Free

Design of Visual Communication in Time and Space

As part of the festival, an international traveling exhibition will present works from four art universities from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. The visual communication space will feature posters, animations, typography, publications, and motion design – from projects meant for public spaces to experimental digital creations.
The exhibition not only shows the technological possibilities of contemporary graphic design but also its connection with handcrafted creation and reflections on the role of the designer in the digital age. Visitors can explore different approaches to visual communication and perceive its development in time and space.

Project authors: Andrej Haščák, Eva Jenčuráková
Exhibition curators: Tomasz Bierkowski (Katowice / Poland), Pavel Noga (Zlín / Czech Republic), Andrej Haščák (Košice / Slovakia), Szabolcs Süli-Zakar (Eger / Hungary)

The international traveling exhibition will present works from four participating art universities:

Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Katowicach – Katedra Projektowania Graficznego,

Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně – Fakulta multimediálních komunikací,

Fakulta umení Technickej univerzity v Košiciach – Katedra dizajnu,

Eszterházy Károly Katolikus Egyetem – Média és Design Intézet.

Location: Schodba Gallery, Building U4, FMK UTB in Zlín, Univerzitní 2431, Zlín
Dates: May 7 – May 31, 2025
Opening hours: On weekdays from 8 AM to 6 PM
Opening event: Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 5 PM
Accessibility: Partial barrier-free access, English version
Entry: Free