Curation and Scenography for Jan Kath Design
Temper
A collaborative exhibition presents sculptural works by Veronika Janovec and the hand-knotted carpets of Jan Kath Design, curated through the lens of Forma Gallery. Emerging from distinct fields, both practices are rooted in an acute sensitivity to material and in centuries-old craft traditions, refined through a contemporary approach. Clay, wool and silk undergo processes of heat, water and careful manipulation, each shaping the material beyond its initial state. Across both practices, transformation is integral to the work. Janovec’s clay is shaped and fired, while the hand-knotted surfaces of Jan Kath Design are washed, finished and, in selected works, burned to reveal depth and variation. Light is another element in this process, continuously altering the perception of texture, colour and surface. Brought into dialogue, sculpture and textile reveal a shared interest in material and transformation. Together, the works create a space where different forms of making can be experienced side by side.
Curatorial statement
Temper speaks of balance, transformation and becoming. The word describes the act of bringing different elements together, of mixing, shaping and tempering materials until they find a new balance. It also evokes temperament: an inherent character, a quality that shapes how something takes form. The nest offers a simple, elemental image of this process. Built from what is found in nature, woven and shaped by instinct, it creates a protected environment in which life can begin, grow and develop. It is an architecture of care, temporary by nature, yet essential in its purpose. Birth, growth, becoming. The nest holds life until it is ready to leave. What begins as protection eventually becomes something to move beyond. To become fledged is to become independent, to leave the structure that made growth possible. Temper becomes a reflection on making and becoming: on material and form, instinct and intention, protection and transformation. It is about creating the conditions for something to emerge, develop and ultimately take flight.
Nests, Winged, Armour
In Nests — a surface of clay deliberately worked to hold cracks, holes, and creases — the form stays turned inward, folded, containing. In Winged, cantilevered slabs extend outward from the concealed cavity — some reach the ground and become legs, others stay lifted, caught between falling and flight. In Armour, the surface bears the resemblance of a material passage through fire — from molten to hardened, darkened, changed but not damaged. Throughout, heat is treated not as a force of destruction but of transformation, closer to tempering than to burning — a collaborator in making the work, not a threat to it.