A.Žačková: Symposium Zlatno
Agáta Žačková: International Symposium Zlatno, 1995
Glass works in Zlatno, a Central Slovakian village surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and forests, hosted the third international glassmakers symposium in early October 1995. This event is natural follow-up of the glassmakers symposium in Lednické Rovne. In alternative years they are both administred by Association of Slovak Glass Artists in cooperation with management of these works. It is surprising and also encouraging that both events are international with glass artists from many participating and the interest to attend is far greater than the capacity available to the organiser. It is always festive occasion when artists meet at events such as symposia. They offer a possibility to overcome the limits of one´s own work in the studio and share one´s creative and technological experiences with colleagues, organisers, glassmakers and glass specialists. The Zlatno symposium specialises in work with hot glass. We succeeded, however, to extend these possibilities ba additional, auxiliary technologies such as painting, cutting, etching, sandblasting, etc.
In addition to local artists /Ladislav Čerba, Ľubomír Ferko, Juraj Gavula, Andrej Jakab, Marta Mlíchová, Ján Mýtny, Drahomir Prihel, Juraj Steinhubel/ the symposium was attended by glassmakers from France /Thierry Baudry, Yves Jumeau, Nicole Barondeau/ , Finland /Annaleena Hakatie/, The Netherlands /Frank van den Ham/ , and Canada /Rick Harry-Tun/. In short time offered by the symposium, they managed to develop and implement a wide range of professional and creative plans and, in the end, complete a number of remarkable artefacts that are contens of this exhibition. What we can see here are works of decorative character making use of clasical technological principes - riverting of iris glass in the workshop of Drahomir Prihel. Then there are works that, through the versiality of the substance, look for a new, convincing shape marked by an artistic plan, such as collections of works by Marta Mlíchová, Andrej Jakab or work of Frank van den Ham. I would like also include works aspiring at principes of modern sculpture in this group, those by Juraj Steinhubel, Yves Jumeau, Thierry Baudry, Ľubomír Ferko and Ladislav Čerba.
Some artists are present their work in the form of installation. Although glass is basic material, the visual impact and the overall effect is diffrent with each artist. Annaleena Hakatie´s slight irony partly corresponds with the slight sarcasm and irony of Ján Mýtny. It is interesting that by the internal theme - man and his work in contrast with nature - we can also include the work of Juraj Gavula into his group. What is characteristic of two foreign artists, Rick Harry-Tun and Nicole Barondeau, is a certain playfulness, revelation of the myth of childrenhood dreams and plays.
Symposia, such as the successful one in Zlatno , are an excellent opportunity for presentation of individual artists, their creative inventio a space where one can enrich oneself as well as others through work, creation and spirit of collegiality.
Agáta Žačková, Curator of the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava, 1995