23. 7. – 31. 8. 2014
“I use design jewelry as a medium to express my deep interest in women and their lives. In my designs, I strive to support the relationship of a female body with jewelry and explore its capacity to express itself and have impact on its wearer and her life. I perceive jewelry not only as an accessory to decorate a dress or a hairdo, but also as an active element of female clothing as such.”
Markéta Kratochvílová
“I prefer not to limit myself to a particular design or art format. I prefer to explore the space in between. I like to work on both product design as well as interior objects and large conceptual installations. My work is most often based on an analysis of both historical and contemporary context and subsequent re-interpretation of artefacts… Towers are a lot about my knowledge and admiration of the Baroque glasswork in combination with the contemporary glass making techniques. I built the collection on the tradition of the Baroque sculptural design of festivals and banquets.”
Tadeáš Podracký
Markéta Kratochvílová and Tadeáš Podracký have a lot in common, but there are two episodes in their life, which unite their carriers in arts – they both studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and received scholarship from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Light objects such as Skywalkers, inspired by the famous lunar rover and other cosmic “gadgets” are an expression of their shared aesthetic.
Both Markéta Kratochvílová, a jewellery designer, and Tadeáš Podracký, a glass artist, stand out amongst the other actors of the Czech art design. They explore materials and their characteristics to apply them creatively, remain aware of the tradition in their field and have enough courage to shape it to their liking, they can detach themselves from the conventional perception of reality and engage in a provocative context-related interplay with the viewer to make the admirers of their work get beyond the perceived categories of love it/hate it.
Markéta Kratochvílová and Tadeáš Podracký may be perceived as new travellers in time, who, in their travels from century to century, discover treasures to reshape and treat with courage and self-confidence of the 21st century. They neither refuse nor accept influence upon them. They use their imagination to shape sentiment into new art. Bon voyage!
Petr Nový
Head curator, The Museum of Glass and Jewellery, Jablonec nad Nisou, Curator, Galerie Kuzebauch