What does “less is more” mean today?

This international exhibition brings together dozens of student projects that engage in diverse ways with the iconic motto of modern architecture and design associated with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The seemingly simple idea that less can be more has shaped creative practice for over a century and continues to provoke new questions and interpretations.

The project features contributions from institutions across the globe, including Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Masaryk University, the Technical University in Zvolen, the Universidade do Algarve, the National Taipei University of Technology, and the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. As such, the exhibition offers a multifaceted perspective on how emerging designers from different cultural contexts approach this enduring theme.

The works on display span product, graphic, fashion, glass, and digital design. Some explore ways to achieve higher-quality and more accessible solutions through the use of fewer materials or more efficient means. Others challenge the very premise of “less is more,” suggesting that reduction may also entail a loss of diversity, richness, and experiential depth.

Alongside minimalist approaches, contrasting tendencies emerge – such as the principle of “More is More,” which embraces formal abundance and visual intensity. A critical stance toward modernist simplicity was famously articulated by Robert Venturi in his assertion “Less is a Bore,” while contemporary design often seeks a more nuanced balance, captured for instance by Dieter Rams in the phrase “Less but Better.”

The exhibition thus poses a deceptively simple yet enduringly relevant question:

Is less truly more or does it depend on when, where, and how?