Blanka Šperková & Marianka, Adamko a Darjanka

ÚĽUV’s material theme for 2026 is wire. Wirework—both craft and art—was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the end of 2019. This year’s first exhibition at the ÚĽUV Design Studio is conceived within this context, presenting a project by an established artist who drew inspiration from children’s drawings. The concept centers on a natural generational connection and the interweaving of traditional craftsmanship with new forms. The works of Blanka Šperková and her grandchildren Marianka, Adamko, and Darjanka Dvorský—three-dimensional hand-woven sculptures made of wire and glass beads—are complemented by two-dimensional paintings and drawings, creating a playful and colorfully diverse whole.

Exhibition Title: Blanka Šperková & Marianka, Adamko a Darjanka
Venue: Dizajn štúdio ÚĽUV, Dobrovičova 13, Bratislava
Opening: 19. 3. 2026 o 17.00 h
Duration: 20. 3. – 25. 5. 2026
Exhibition installation: Mária Hriešik Nepšinská, Nikola Pavlíková

Blanka Šperková, a native of Banská Bystrica and the creator of a unique finger-knitting technique using wire, has been creating wire jewelry and sculptures since 1970. She studied graphic design at the Josef Vydra School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, followed by the Academy of Performing Arts (Puppet Design Studio) and the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (Television and Film Graphics Studio under Prof. Adolf Hoffmeister) in Prague. She drew inspiration from the old tradition of Slovak wire workers, yet developed her own unique weaving technique. Through the minimalist use of a single stitch, she creates works in the spirit of free-form sculpture as well as delicate jewelry. The thematic focus of her work ranges from more realistic figurative forms to stylized ones, but always with a clear literary subtext. She uses the specific properties of wire mesh—airiness, transparency, layering of surfaces, and the play of light and shadow—as her primary expressive elements. She has participated in numerous group and solo projects, and her works are held in private and public collections both domestically and abroad. She has received several awards in various fields of art. She lives and works in Brno.

In recent years, her grandchildren have inspired her to create new works. Art that combines traditional craftsmanship with a new form—that is how one could describe the works created jointly by artist Blanka Šperková and her granddaughter Marianka. The grandmother gave her eldest granddaughter’s drawings a three-dimensional form using a technique typical of her style. The result is hand-woven sculptures made of wire and glass beads in many color variations, inspired by a child’s imagination. In addition, there are two-dimensional paintings based on drawings by her grandson Adamko, who is three years younger, complemented by the first artistic attempts of her then-one-year-old granddaughter Darjanka.

We cordially invite young and old alike to the reopening of this successful and captivating exhibition at the ÚĽUV Design Studio.