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What form should a modern art faculty have by the end of your second term in 2029?

I believe that art universities in the Czech Republic should differentiate themselves more. Instead of competing in mediocrity, they ought to create ideal conditions for specific groups of applicants who won’t come just from the region, but from around the world. From the very beginning, our faculty was built on the idea of dialogue across disciplines and on interdisciplinarity. This vision is deeply woven into the architectural design of our building. Even if I wanted to, it wouldn’t make sense to try to reverse this direction. Fortunately, this is the last thing I’d ever want to change. Partly because I grew up at an institution that was truly pioneering in this regard and also because it’s becoming clear that this approach has a strong future. I’m convinced that society will increasingly need people who aren’t limited by traditional knowledge and skill boundaries but will, much like modern technologies, naturally cross the borders between fields and genres.

And how exactly do you want to achieve that?

Listing the concrete measures I intend to take probably wouldn’t make for thrilling reading. In general, I’ll pursue greater mobility of students within study programs and specializations, a stronger emphasis on project-based forms of education and clearer communication of our philosophy to the public and to applicants, so we can speak even more directly to our target group.

If you had to name one project or step that will be the most visible mark of your leadership after the next four years, what would it be?

I have no urge to build myself a monument. I could mention the effort to create, together with the NTC and ideally other university units, a new building, a research center jointly developed by engineers, artists, and other scholars. I could list the accreditations we’re preparing, such as the Glass specialization, the ready-to-launch English program Design and Arts, and the upcoming accreditation of the Game Design specialization. But all of these are just paving stones on the road toward a larger goal: to establish our institution as an internationally respected art and research organization that will be one of the leaders in interdisciplinary education. That we’re on the right path—and moving fast—is already evident from numerous excellent results and expert assessments, including the highly positive evaluation by the International Evaluation Panel.

What personally motivates you to continue? And on the other hand, what commands your respect because you know it will be a tough challenge?

What my team and I had to tackle first was a full restructuring of the faculty—setting clear responsibilities, creating new bodies, mechanisms, and rules. This is work that is almost invisible from the outside, but crucial for any future development. We’ve achieved a major leap in creative activities, professionalization in many areas such as exhibitions and publishing and in other parts of the faculty including PR. Now comes the time to fulfill our visions and that’s exactly what motivates me and gives me fresh energy. As for the tough challenges, I wouldn’t even know where to start and I wouldn’t finish anytime soon. But listing them here makes no sense. They’re simply part of the path we’ve chosen, one we’re building with conviction and without fear.

What influence do new technologies have on art? Does teaching in studios need to adapt?

Some fields at our faculty have undergone a complete revolution in the past few decades. Graphic design is one example. The democratization and other shifts brought by digital editing tools are groundbreaking. But they haven’t changed the need for human invention, which rests on deep knowledge of historical and contemporary context, on intelligence, creativity and ultimately on craftsmanship, which has changed a lot, but is still essential. I wouldn’t dare predict how AI will reshape various areas of artistic and design practice. But I believe that behind any activity we provide, future clients will still want to feel a human being. Behind a painting, we want to see the painter and understand the work in the context of their artistic and personal evolution. And in architecture or design, there is—and I believe will remain—a segment that wants a specific creator behind their house, chair, or cup. Studios must stay open to new technologies, that’s a matter of survival. Any stagnation would be a reputational risk, a breach of the principles on which our faculty stands and a betrayal of our students, who expect maximum support for their growth.

You yourself are a photographer by training. How does your experience shape the leadership of a faculty that spans many fields, from animation to illustration?

The field as I learned it demanded great care and patience. But the same could be said for many other disciplines. Honestly, I don’t think my specialization predestined me or even particularly helped me in my current role. I’d look elsewhere. I grew up surrounded by art and artists, not just visual ones, but literary ones as well. I love music, whether classical, jazz, or popular forms. I’m also a great admirer of opera, modern dance, architecture and other artistic expressions. If anything, my strength might be that I genuinely like to listen. And the rest comes from spending many years abroad. I was born and spent the first part of my life in the Czech Republic. At twelve, I moved to the Netherlands, where I grew up and studied. That shift between two very different countries gave me the ability to gain distance. And distance is essential for any objective assessment, as well as for understanding specific contexts and setting the right direction.