Prague Gallery of Czech Glass’ Kateřina Čapková on the Czech tradition of glassmaking and annual int’l award promoting excellence in glass art
Kateřina Čapková heads the Prague Gallery of Czech Glass, a not-for-profit organisation promoting excellence in glassmaking as well as offering a prestigious international award since 2008 which has attracted attention worldwide. The gallery also boasts a small depository and permanent collection – anyone interested in glass works should visit.
“The Prague Gallery of Czech Glass was established in 2007 and at that time there was not one specific museum or even gallery specializing solely in glass. The main goal was first to gather works of Czech glassmakers and our second was to focus on the field of education. As a result we organise lectures, workshops, small exhibitions and so on and perhaps most importantly we organise the annual Stanislav Libenský Award.”
We will talk about that more specifically but it seems a shame that there wasn’t a similar such gallery before…
“Well there are exceptions, the Museum of Decorative Art does have a glass collection, there are others in north Bohemia and Moravia, but there wasn’t anything quite like this in Prague.”
Northern Bohemia is a long tradition of glassmaking…
“That’s right. The tradition goes back a long time, it is still alive and I believe that a new generation of glassmakers will be successful. Glass is considered important, it is backed by many companies, I think designers and others working in glass have a bright future.”
What is your connection to glass?
It is something that you have to discover or rediscover for yourself, isn’t it? There are so many qualities: it’s visual, it’s tactile, uh, the surface can be opaque, colour, and of course there is that aspect of light, a ‘cliché’ maybe, but you can’t talk about glass without light, right? What at the moment are some fascinating objects for you? Because we are going to talk about some of the objects in the collection: even at first sight some of these objects seem to really push the boundaries about where glass can go.
“This is exactly it. There are all kinds of uses: in architecture, daily uses, design and fine art. All these different facets are thrilling. What fascinates me the most is optical glass: it is pure, it is the light as you mentioned, it is pure, it is not ‘talkative’, it is not ‘flowery’, it’s ‘just’ glass.”
How does the gallery operate? How did the international collection come together?
“Well, it has grown. The start was supposed to focus on Czech artists and glassmakers but we moved beyond that. We have now been presenting the Stanislav Libenský Award for eight years and that has attracted a great many participants from all around the world. The depository changed a bit and we have many objects from around the world. We keep a small collection of Czech glassmakers but the major focus is now on the international scene. In our gallery you can see different approaches, different techniques and the many ways young people work with glass.”
“Each work, each artist has a different story. There are different agreements: sometimes the work goes back, we can keep it for a year, and sometimes the work is donated, which is a happy ending for us.”
When you look at the images, either on the website or if you see the work in person, there you are immediately struck by the many differences we have discussed, so I’d like to talk concretely about some of the work. I admit to having a bias towards work which has a playful element…
“Are you talking about the cauliflower? That work? That piece was by an Egyptian glassmaker who was studying in Poland, named Walaa Hamza, and she made this work which was a glass cauliflower and a glass broccoli which was very light-hearted, daring and funny. Often you can get work in glass which is ‘heavy’ and based on stories in childhood and broken hearts and this was so delightful that the international jury awarded her 2nd prize.”
“As for the awards: the first prize is three weeks at the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, one of the most famous glass schools in the world. So we are giving students not funds but opportunities. The second prize is a one-week with a Czech glassmaking firm.”
“You have a very good eye. Precise detailing is something which is fairly definitive of the Japanese work we receive. Also, the dragon was third, last year.”
Ah, well there you go. Among the work which was highlighted, I was also impressed by these glass domes…
“That was an Australian entry where the artists wanted to ‘freeze’ plants in glass in a vacuum the glass was blown into dome-like shapes. The plants are dead but they look very much alive. For her it was a way of preserving memories of Australia.”
With so many entries coming from around the world, what is something that has surprised you recently?
“It doesn’t grow old: most entries still continue to surprise: there is so much to discover, so many techniques. I admire all of them, so many ideas and creativity done with their whole heart, and opening up to the public through their artwork.”
“It depends on the facilities of the schools, but usually they work on every stage. If the school has a glass shop, they do. Paradoxically in the Czech Republic there is no university with a glass shop. Here, they have them at the secondary school level. Students who know early on what they want to do can benefit greatly.”
Learn more about the gallery, workshops and items on view at www.prazskagalerie.cz
