The brilliancy of Czech glass breached the gap in this dichotomy, and glass as an art form not only survived but flourished.

Glassmaking as a craft and as an art form goes back centuries in the Czech Republic. From the 11th through the 14th centuries, anonymous glass artisans invented bold new designs and forms of glass, proved in high demand throughout Europe. Yet, today these artisans’ identities remain a secret, forever lost in history.

In the mid-20th century, the use of glass as an expressive art form ground to a halt, as the political regime demanded that glass be used only for the most practical things – tableware, optics, windows. Yet somehow the Czech artistic spirit was not quashed; when the former glass artists were forced to become teachers, their insights and perceptions lived on in their students, and the two opposing and very different camps – politics and art – coexisted. The brilliancy of Czech glass breached the gap in this dichotomy, and glass as an art form not only survived but flourished.

But what is the status of glass art in the Czech Republic today? Again, another dichotomy of opposing forces: this time, it’s art vs. economics. The economic security assured by the former socialist government for glass production is now gone. Czech glass artists are left on their own, abandoned to struggle and compete as artists in a world economy.

Their actual numbers may be fluctuating, but the Czech glass artists’ spirit and creativity is flourishing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the youngest generation of artists. A new generation of secrets and dichotomies lives on in the fluid, expressive, crystalline medium of Czech glass in the hands of some of the youngest artists picking up the traditions, among them, Adéla Bébarová, Ivan Pokorný, Stanislav Müller, and Josef Šafařík.

Adéla Bébarová

This 29-year-old artist started her studies at the Pedagogical Faculty of Palacký University, Olomouc, and continued in arts studies at Brno’s Faculty of Fine Art, Prague’s Academy of Fine Art, and she completed short-term studies in architecture and design.

“In my sculptures I am trying to settle a duality of things,” she says. “I use contrasts which complement each other. I hide the meaning inside the form, indicating the opportunity for ‘reading’ in glass. I give room for the observer’s own interpretation as well as his thoughts.

“The main theme for my creation is movement. The best material in my opinion is cast glass for its penetrability of light, and the secret inside.”

Exhibitions:

• 2007 – Galerie Jiřího Jílka, Šumperk, Czech Republic
• 2006 – Galerie Kai de Kai, Praha, Czech Republic
• 2002 – Divadlo Hudby, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Symposia:

• 2005 – concrete, Česká Lípa, Czech Republic
• 2006, 2005, 2004 – Snowfestival, Kiruna, Sweden
• 2001 – wood, Warsaw, Poland
• 1998 – sandstone, Dubenec, Czech Republic
  

Stanislav Müller

A student of glass master Prof Vladímír Kopecký, Müller studied for six years at the University of Applied Art, Prague, as well as at the Intermediate School of Applied Arts, Železný Brod. The glass artist also creates video and performance art pieces.

He explains his inspiration for glass: “The first thing I see against the light when I am observing somebody coming from a long distance is actually his simple outline – a silhouette. I fill the outline with my own imagination,” the 36-year-old artist explains.

“A company atmosphere is an inspiration for me,” he continues. “There’s the apparent voluntary absence of the individuality of people. A manager, for example, is easily replaced by somebody else, and that is fantastic but also frightening. I have expressed this with an empty, unfilled silhouette mad out of a cold material, in which I can induct anybody I want.

“I am reacting to the crudeness inside him, the forwardness and the lie, and at the same time I admire those who have found themselves [stuck] inside the silhouette of the manager, yet found their other potential.”

Exhibitions (selection):

• 2007 – Transparent Team, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
• 2006 – SAFE, Karlín Studio, Prague
• 2006 – Coburg Glass, Coburg, Denmark
• 2005 – U35, Czech, Nippon, Yokohama, Japan
• 2004 – Korea 2004, Seoul, Korea
• 2004 – Within Reach, Home Gallery, Prague
• 2003 – Praguebiennale 1 – Youngest, National Gallery, Prague
• 2002 – Coop 2002, Bucharest, Romania
• 2001 – ASU2, Labin, Croatia
• 1999 – The Czech Art Festival in Tokyo, Japan
• 1999 – Cube, Morioka, Japan
• 1999 – Design Center, Ohno, Japan

Awards:

• 1997 – The Mr. Josef, Mrs. Marie and Mrs. Zdenka Hlavka Foundation, best diploma work, Prague College of Applied Arts.

Ivan Pokorný

A mere 24 years old, Ivan Pokorný studied at the Specialized School of Art and Design in Nový Bor, and went on to study in specialized summer workshops in Venice.

“I was that kid who was drawing all the time, drawing during school lessons, drawing on the wall next to my bed … while the other kids were outside playing soldiers, I was inside, drawing soldiers,” he confesses.

“Finally my mother, who was going crazy with this, realized I wasn’t the type for regular studies and she sent me to an art high school [technical college] instead.

“Well … you can see the result.”

Exhibitions:

• 2007, 2004 – SOFA Chi, with Galerie Pokorna, Chicago, USA
• 2006 – Řemeslo a UMĚNÍ ve Skle, Nový Bor, Czech Republic
• 2006, 2005 – Sofa NY, with Galerie Pokorna, New York, USA
• 2004 – Sculptures, paintings, Benešov, Czech Republic
• 2004 – Vosklo, Water Castle Lipý, Nový Bor, Czech Republic
• 2002 – Exhibition of Graduates from the Specialized School of Art and Design, Nový Bor

Symposium:

• 2004 – International Glass Symposium, Glass Company Rona, Slovakia

Commisions:

• 50 goblets for Chappell Gallery, Boston, USA

Awards:

• 2006 – Craft and Art in Glass, 1st place, blown glass competition, Muzeum of Glass, Nový Bor

Public collection:

• Muzeum of Glass, Nový Bor

Josef Šafarík

Stone, sculpture, and architecture all inform the glass works of this graduate of the Academy of Applied Arts, Prague, who studied under Prof Marian Karel. The 30-year-old artist also studied the art of designing coins, medals, and commemoratives.

“The confrontation between what can be seen and what actually arose through the process of creation is the principle behind my latest projects,” he says. “Layering is part of my sculptural exposure, both in cast glass and in other materials. I try to generate a kind of hyper-structuralism, with reflection and online projections.

“Working with space, whether it is a gallery space or public place, forms a central component of my creations.”

Exhibitions (selected):

• 2006, 2005, 2004 – Snowfestival, Kiruna, Sweden
• 2006 – AAA Today, Galery Mánes, Prague
• 2006 – Medals, Kremnica, Slovakia
• 2005 – FIDEM, Seixtal, Portugal
• 2004 – Funeral Design, Veletržní Palác, Prague
• 2003 – Potential Connections, Czech Centre-London
• 2002 – MMM, Kremnica, SK
• 2000 – Galerie “My,”Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic
• 2000 – Nyíregyháza, Városi Galeria, Hungary
• 1999 – Symposium of Sculptures, Bauxen, Denmark
• 1999 – Galerie Dominik, Plzeň, Czech Republic
• 1996 – Symposium at Lesoparku Chomutov,
• Chomutov, Czech Republic

Activities:

• 2007 – Creation of a foundation stone forthe Charles Bridge, for Czech National Bank, Prague
• 2005 – Creation of a memorial plaquette for the air fighter of the RAF, Tomáš Kruml
• 2003 – Memorial medal for MMM, Kremnica, SK
• 2002 – Memorial silver medal for set designer Josef Svoboda
• 2000 – Cast medal for an Indian reservation, Summit Ridge Park, Nevada, USA – Commemorative coin for Czech National Bank

Public Collections:

• The British Museum, London
• MMM, Kremnici
• Czech National Bank
• Slovak National Bank
• Museum Nyíregyháza, Hungary
• Museum of Medals, Portugal