Bio

Born in 1979 in Slovakia, Tomas Kral has decided to work on a smaller scale than his father architect and urban planner.

Kral graduated from the Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne (Ecal). After finishing his bachelor in industrial design in 2006, he obtained at Ecal his Master degree in product design in 2008 and « MAS » Diplôma in luxury design in 2009. Since 2010 Kral is teaching at ECAL in the department of industrial design.

Tomas Kral established  his product design studio in 2008 in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the context of industrial production and research, Kral’s approach to design is characterized by a clear preoccupation for materials and processes. In glass, cork or ceramic, Tomas Kral work on various projects ranging from products to lighting, furniture and accessories. He often takes inspiration in the tradition and ordinary situations and translate them with a touch of poetry and humor to simply, innovative solutions and clever everyday objects. In order to find a new creative approaches, shapes, details, assemblages and purposes he frequently observes and experiment with craftsmanship and the knowledge of manufacturers.

Tomas Kral exhibited his work in several museums and galleries like Libby Sellers Gallery (London), Gallery Kreo (Paris), The Aram Gallery (London), Helmrinderknecht (Berlin), Gallery Krehky (Prague), Museum of design (Zürich), Sm’s Stedelijk museum in the Netherlands or MUDAC in Lausanne.

He work for international companies specialised in design like PCM (Spain), Christofle (France), Foundry (Singapur), Praxis (Hong-Kong), Petite Friture (France), Safilo (Italy), Super-ette (Luxembourg), Nespresso (Switzerland), Somethinggood (Italy), Field (USA), Hartô (France), Nude glass (Turkey)…

Recently, his work receives several awards and prizes including Leitz innovation & design award ; « Excellent prize » in the 9th International bicycle design competition or Swiss federal design award in March 2010. In 2013 he was again nominated for the Swiss federal design award.

Exhibitions

  • OCT 2015   L’Univers des Petits Objets – solo exhibition at La Fabrique h2, Monthey, CH
  • SEP 2015   Il guste del design, Centro Culturale Svizzero di Milano, with Espaces contemporains, IT
  • JUN 2015   Krehky Mikulov festival, CZ
  • NOV 2014   Istanbul Design Biennial – with Glass is tomorrow & Pasabahce, TR
  • OCT 2013   Ceramique I – Exhibition at Kissthedesign Gallery, Lausanne, CH
  • SEP 2013   «Young Swiss Design Kaleidoscope 2013», China & Hong-Kong
  • JUN 2013   Exhibition «Swiss Design Award», Basel, CH
  • DEC 2012   «Werkstadt Vienna» Exhibition at MAK, Vienna, AT
  • DEC 2012   «Kama, Sesso e Design» Triennale di Milano, IT
  • NOV 2012   Exhibition «The common roots» Design museum Holon, Israel
  • OCT 2012   «The mirror exhibition» Designblok with Okolo, Prague, CZ
  • MAY 2012   Exhibition «Bauhaus live», The Aram Gallery, London, GB
  • APR 2012   Art Design Project with Krehky gallery, Bratislava, SK
  • SEP 2011   «Passionswege», Vienna Design Week, AT
  • JUN 2011   Il-Lacion gallery, Barcelona, with PCM
  • MAY 2011   Galeria Gloria, Madrid, with PCM
  • JAN 2011   Galery KREO in Paris with ecal – A new generation of lights
  • DEC 2010   Museum of Design in Zürich – Swiss federal design award
  • NOV 2010   End of incandescent light_Triode design gallery, Paris, FR
  • NOV 2010   Blickfang Zürich, CH
  • OCT 2010   Designblok in Prague with Okolo
  • OCT 2010   Ecal luce – Galeria Babuino Novecento Roma, IT
  • APR 2010   Centro Culturale Svizzero di Milano, exhibition with Ecal
  • JUN 2010   DMY Berlin with Swiss federal office of culture
  • OCT 2009   Designblok – Milky way – Prague design week, Profilmedia
  • SEP 2009   Design September in Bruxelles, La Cambre, with Ecal
  • JUN 2009   Repeat please – Exhibition at SM’S Stedejlik museum, NL
  • JUN 2009   Designer’s days in Paris – with Ecal, Gallery Lafayette
  • APR 2009   Milan design week_exhibition with Ecal
  • FEB 2009   Exhibition Prototypes & Experiments 2, The Aram gallery
  • OCT 2008   Exhibition Mytopanton_Designhaus Darmstadt
  • SEP 2008   Beau Sauvage_Libby Sellers gallery
  • SEP 2008   100% Design_ Earls courts with BEDG, London
  • JUN 2008   100% Design in Rotterdam with Creater
  • MAY 2008   DMY international design festival in Berlin – with Creater
  • APR 2008   Centro Culturale Svizzero di Milano, exhibition with Ecal
  • OCT 2006   «Intensive science exhibition», La maison rouge, Paris
  • OCT 2006   Diploma exhibition, ELAC, Lausanne
  • MAY 2006   Made for Solingen, Exhibition with Ecal
  • AUG 2004   Tendance lifestyle /TALENTS/, Frankfurt, DE
  • MAY 2004   Design Mai 04, Berlin, DE
  • NOV 2002   International biennale of design, Saint-Etienne, FR

Awards

  • 2010   swiss federal design award
  • 2007   mention – d&ad global studen award
  • 2005   menstion – electrolux design lab «home in 2020»
  • 2004   «excelent prize» 9th international bicycle design compretition
  • 2004   mention « inside the bathroom », competition
  • 2004   4th prize «macef design award 2004»
  • 2003   4th prize «leitz innovation & design award»
  • 2002   special prize of the jury «young packaging»

Clients