At the end of September, Nikola Liptáková stepped into the role of Director of the Czech Centre Stockholm. A few months on, the initial phase of settling in is coming to an end, and the focus is slowly shifting from listening and observing to shaping what comes next.
Nikola has been based in Sweden for many years and brings a background that moves easily between culture, education, and research. She studied art history and cultural studies at Masaryk university in Brno before continuing with a master’s degree in technical art history at Stockholm University. Alongside this, she has completed further studies in digital humanities, cultural policy, pedagogy, and project management.
Professionally, she has worked as a curator, teacher, and cultural manager, and most recently as a project manager and policy officer at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Stockholm. There, she focused on strategic partnerships, public programmes, and communication with Swedish cultural and research institutions.
Although new to the position, Nikola is far from new to Sweden or its cultural scene. Her first months have been about getting to know the Czech Centre from the inside: its rhythms, its ongoing projects, its partners, and the people around it. Taking time to understand how things work has been an important starting point, and it has also opened up plenty of ideas for future directions.
Looking ahead, her vision centres on cooperation and openness. She is particularly interested in projects that reach beyond traditional cultural venues, from public art in shared urban spaces to initiatives that connect culture with science, research, and new technologies. Czech literature will also be a key focus, with an emphasis on contemporary voices and fresh, accessible formats for Swedish readers.
“The Czech Centre has incredible potential as a meeting place,” says Nikola. “After these first months of getting to know the organisation, I’m really excited to start developing projects that bring people together across disciplines and borders.”
