Czech It Out
11th November - 31st January 2005
Jewellery and Sculpture from The Czech Republic
Poster from the exhibition
CZECH IT OUT
Thirteen designers from the Czech Republic have collections on show; jewellery and bigger, sculptural pieces are created from materials as diverse as bone, string, glass, plastic, fishing bait and credit cards - along with the more usual precious metals and garnets which are traditionally used in Czech jewellery, though all given a contemporary twist! One of the key themes that underpins the exhibition and, indeed, drew Kath Libbert to want to show the work, is the collective inventiveness of the designers and their ability to create a lot from very little, with much humour and thoughtfulness. For Kath, the show has a been a long time in the making - over four years in fact - with the Czech Republic’s entry to the EU it finally became possible to turn the plans into reality. Kath’s mother is Czech Jewish and her family lived in the same small village for hundreds of years until they were forced to leave in 1938 due to the Nazi threat. Kath has returned to her family’s former home several times and this powerful, personal link is expressed through her desire to provide a platform for the work of Czech jewellers. Kath comments: “The designers’ resourcefulness and determination are borne out of circumstances; there is very little financial support for contemporary jewellers in the Czech Republic and hardly any contemporary jewellery galleries. Whilst this has been a challenging exhibition to put together, I was determined to show this work - which I find compelling in its ingenuity, wit and refreshing candour. The jewellery often becomes a vehicle to communicate personal and political stories and I have found these fascinating. I hope this exhibition will give visitors a real taste of all of this too”.
Artists featured in 'Czech It Out' are: Barbara Kalisova; Blanka Sperkova; Jana Strilkova; Jaroslav Prasil; Jolana Novakova; Kamila Housova; Katerina Jancarova; Lucie Krejcova; Ludmila Sikolova; Marketa Sumannova; Petra Vogel; Simona Kafkova; Vladimir Komnacky.
