STRUCTURES - Révélations Paris

STRUCTURES – CONTEMPORARY CZECH GLASS ART

Révélations, Paris, Banquet   10/09 – 13/09 2015

 

Glass is an amorphous material typical for its irregular crystalline structure. It is in fact a solidified liquid. Although the secret of its production has been known to the mankind for seven thousand years, its use as a purely artistic material, capable of capturing the artist’s inner self, is relatively new. It was only in the 20th century, when sculptors first reached for glass to create abstract glass sculptures. Czech glass artists were among the first in the world to erase the line between applied and fine arts. The Czech glass was and has remained innovative, bold, multifaceted, technologically advanced, and perfectly crafted. It is as surprising and variable as the structure of the raw material. For that very reason, it has had many admirers, collectors, followers and imitators worldwide.

Innovative abstract mould-melted glass sculptures of Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtová as well as unique compositions by René Roubíček paved the way, in the 50s of the 20th century, to hundreds of artists (not only) in the Czech Republic. Central European artists are familiar with a myriad of artistic glassmaking techniques. Although the melted glass sculpture has retained the most prominent position, the Czech glass artists have shown their capacity to make full artistic use of special technology of all kinds, such as the free hand or mould-blown glass, cut glass, engraving, painting and fusing.

In the today´s Czech Republic, there are four strong generations of glass artists. For our exhibition, we carefully selected six of them. You may ask which criteria we used… Although the six represent different generations and aesthetic feelings, they have one in common – their drive to gain deep knowledge of the material, which they shape confidently, yet humbly. Jaroslav Bejvl jr. (*1967) blows into unique objects to re-form pre-formed vases, Pavlína Čambalová (*1986) shows that one can use a traditional engraver’s tool to create a contemporary piece of art, Klára Horáčková (*1980) has created impressive crystalline objects from melted glass, Ivana Houserová (1957 – 2015) has been very convincing in showing us that the Czech melted glass sculptures will always retain their artistic potential, which has repeatedly been confirmed by Zdenek Lhotský (*1956) and his innovative technology called vitrucell. Oldřich Plíva´s (*1946) approach to glass is, on the other hand, minimalistic.

Even though STRUCTURES is an exhibition offering only a limited tour of the variety of contemporary Czech artists´ approach to glass, it is no intellectual plaything, but a message about the Czech art glass proactivity and openness. It is truly contemporary. And, since there is no equivalent in the world of the Czech complex system of secondary and university glass art education, we have the right to believe that it will remain so for long.

PhDr. Petr Nový

Art Curator Kuzebauch Gallery

Structure of the Moment

JAROSLAV BEJVL jr. (*1967)

Objects of the RE- FORM Project make an imaginative use of the press and blow technology, originally designed for serial production, to produce unique artefacts. They also pay tribute to Václav Hanuš, a Czech designer who, in 1955 to 1985, designed hundreds of consumer and decorative objects. Jaroslav Bejvl jr. used some of the old metal moulds as a medium to take him on a journey through space and time. In his unique artefacts, he captured precious moments of his adventurous tour – a meeting of generations, a merger of tradition and our modern times, the theory of relativity materialized in glass.

Structure of Dream

PAVLÍNA ČAMBALOVÁ (*1986)

 

In the studio glass, engraving is most often used to supplement a predefined shape, detail or a final word of a story. However, there are exceptions where the artefact subordinates itself to the engraving. Pavlína Čambalová´s objects show that a small engraving wheel can produce a composition wherein the shape gives in to the expression and not vice versa. The engraving and the dream are composed of different layers – from delicate lines to deep cuts. This challenging technique – requiring manual skills as well as imagination, patience and strong will – is the only one which manages to break the homogeneous mass of glass like a dream which storms into our everyday certainty. 

Structure of Soul

 KLÁRA HORÁČKOVÁ (*1980)

 

The perfectly mastered technology of fusing make Klára Horáčková´s objects similar to natural crystals. They remind us of jewellery hidden in dark caves, patiently waiting to be discovered, or elements of the human soul melted together by the life itself – light and darkness combined in one body. Her objects make us feel as if not created by a human being, but by the nature itself. They carry the imprint of the hot core as well as the tension of tectonic plates. They are a reflection of the human soul, which is free and yet bound by solid material similarly to the freedom of nature defined and limited by the planet Earth.

 

Structure of Life

IVANA HOUSEROVÁ (1957 – 2015)

 

„Singing moon“ – a mould melted glass object full of harmony and omnipresent nature reflects the author´s positive attitude to life. The first time used décor of fine relief lines twining around the object is enlivening and brings out the dynamic movement in the glass structure. This piece is more than a singing moon – it is a natural spring radiating strong healing power. Ivana Houserová made it during her internship with the Musée du Verre de Sars-Poteries artfully combining the Czech and French glass making tradition and craftsmanship.

Structure of Substance

ZDENĚK LHOTSKÝ (*1956)

 

Thanks to his world unique technology called VITRUCELL, developed over the years by Zdeněk Lhotský and his team, we can now admire unique and visually impressive objects. “Glass cells” melted together help create structures whose color and structural variability is limited solely by the artist´s fantasy. The art of melted sculpture thus received a new impetus which has found its use not only in the studio art, but also in architecture and the interior design. Zdeněk Lhotský prefers to demonstrate the potential of this glass substance in the form of an archetypally shaped and perfectly worked bowls.

 

Structure of Shape

OLDŘICH PLÍVA (*1946)

 

Oldřich Plíva´s art speaks about the explosive energy of the mass, relationship between dimension and shape. He uses the mould-melted glass technology to create objects which speak to you with strong emotions and message rather than with their aesthetic effect. As his art results from genuine creative process leaving behind speculative aestheticizing, Oldřich Plíva´s artefacts have, regardless of their size, a monumental impact. His signature shapes keep pulsating as old cultures´ magic objects or meteorites, which carry messages thousands of light years long.