In the former St. Gabriel's convent, Designblok will open today

Prague - The annual Designblok opens today to the public in the former St. Gabriel's Monastery and the nearby summer palace in the Kinsky Garden. It will offer a selection of Czech design, artistic installations, and thematic exhibitions, but this year only in the form of exhibitions. The accompanying lecture, workshop, and social program has been canceled by the organizers due to measures in place against the spread of coronavirus.

The main exhibitions at Gabriel Loci and Musaion will be complemented by galleries and shops around the city with special displays. The exhibition program will also be available online through 3D tours on the Designblok website. Virtual tours of the exhibitions will be on view until the end of October 2020.

The organizers promise that the former convent transformed into a gallery space will create an interesting contrast with installations of contemporary design. The paradise garden by Jan Plecháč, the cloister with lamps by Lucie Koldová, as well as individual cells of the order's sisters, the refectory, and other historical spaces will host new works from emerging and established designers.

"Given that the focus of Designblok is on exhibitions, we can open under strict hygiene conditions. We had to cancel all festival programs that would categorize us as mass events, such as lectures, openings, workshops, discussions, fashion shows, and social events, including the ceremonial opening," said Designblok director Jana Zielinski.

The Designblok exhibition always consists of Superstudio, where companies present themselves, Openstudio, which showcases the work of individual designers, Art House offering an unusual combination of art and design, and showrooms and shops that participate in Designblok. This year, visitors can look forward to 227 exhibitions by creators and manufacturers. There will also be guest authors from neighboring countries among them.

The spaces in the Gabriel Loci complex will be divided in such a way that there are no more than ten people in each exhibition hall or other areas at one time; this also applies to visitors waiting to enter the exhibition halls. A special team will oversee measures such as masks, distancing, prohibiting gatherings, and the use of disinfectants.