Circles on the Water 2024

The Circles on the Water competition is a platform that, every two years since 2000, has opened a dialogue between craftspeople and professional creators seeking new ways to preserve the values of traditional production while bringing innovation to contemporary craft and applied arts. Exceptional works from the 12th edition of this international competition will also be on display at the ÚĽUV Košice Gallery from 25 September to 14 November 2025.

Circles on Water 2024
Location.
Exhibition duration: 25 September - 14 November 2025
Opening hours: Monday to Friday | 13.00 - 17.00 h
Curator.

The open call for the 12th edition of the competition attracted 238 entries from designers, craftspeople and students from nine countries - Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Ireland and Norway.

In Section A, professional designers and university students entered their works, taking into account craft approaches in their contemporary design or using tradition in a broader sense as inspiration for experimentation. In section B, craftsmen and traditional producers of art and craft products were presented, with the possibility of serial reproducibility of the works being an important criterion for the evaluation. ÚĽUV places emphasis on supporting designers at the formative stage of their formation in secondary schools with an artistic focus, so the competition gave them space in a separate section C, which included works inspired by the practices and patterns of traditional craftsmanship, realised from natural or, to a lesser extent, alternative materials.

The competition works were evaluated by an expert jury composed of: Tibor Uhrín, chairman of the jury, designer and teacher (Technical University in Košice); Ferdinand Chrenka, designer and initiator of the competition Circles on Water; Lenka Žižková, director of Design Cabinet CZ and the competition National Student Design Award, design theoretician (Prague); Szilárd Kiss József, fashion designer and stylist, teacher at fashion schools inHungary; Markéta Nováková, designer and pedagogue (Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava); Michal Hanula, designer and pedagogue (School of Art Industry in Ružomberok); Janka Motyčková, fashion designer, aesthetician and cultural manager; Katarína Chruščová, director of the ÚĽUV Regional Crafts Centre in Banská Bystrica.

The last edition of the competition confirmed the international establishment of KRUHOV NA VODE, which means its long-term potential, but also its ability to create a space for confrontation of craft approaches in contemporary design in other countries. The possibility of comparing creativity and material processing is fascinating and is clearly directed towards promoting quality craftsmanship in different material groups.

We look forward to seeing you in the ÚĽUV Gallery in Košice.