Open House Brno 2025 – The House of Chairs

In the Brno district of Vinohrady, one particular building stands out among the surrounding commercial structures. Instead of a conventional façade, it’s covered in chairs! You can read about the building’s original purpose and how it came by its unusual new “coat” in our earlier article.

The work of Brno native Jiří Netík (born 1953) has been exhibited in many places around the world. Over the past decades, exhibitions have been held in Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Slovakia. Despite his travels abroad, Netík regularly returns to Brno with his work.

Jiří Netík first fell in love with wood. This soft, warm, natural material allowed him to shape the curves of human figures and animal bodies. The only drawback of wood was its inability to withstand changing weather, making it unsuitable for outdoor display. This led the former woodcarver to experiment with other, more durable materials such as glass and timeless bronze. Even the metal versions of his sculptures, however, originate from wood: they are cast from his original wooden pieces. As a result, both intentional and accidental imprints of the wood’s surface irregularities, traces of carving tools, and the paths of woodworms are embedded into Netík’s bronze sculptures.

The exact address of the House of Chairs is Žarošická 18, Brno-Vinohrady, and it will be open during Open House Brno at the following times:

• Saturday, 17 May 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• Sunday, 18 May 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

In the House of Chairs, visitors will find not only the showroom and branch of MY DVA, but also a gallery showcasing the work of restorer, woodcarver, and sculptor Jiří Netík, whose exhibition is on permanent display here.