‘The All proceedeth from the One, and into One must All regress: If otherwise, the All remains asunder-riven manyness.’

Johannes Scheffler (Angelus Silesius)

With Cross Section, Jaroslav Kučera brings a powerful and impressive sculptural installation to the intimate, minimalist Whitebox exhibition space. In this arched white space, Kučera presents has an installed an architectural element resembling a metal cross, into whose gleaming white interiors he has inserted eight jewellery editions, some of which are inspired by general themes associated with the Czech lands, while others explore more personal concepts such as escape, inner vibrations or bleeding. The cross-shaped object is wedged between the exhibition spaces walls, on which are hung frames containing brooches characterised by distinctive contrasts in light and colour.

On the right-hand side of the room, we find the darker and denser bronze collection Cross Section, which was created over the last three years for the exhibition at GASK and which gave the exhibition its name. The exhibition does not draw on Christian iconography alone but also involves loose associations to the idea encountering a crossroads while wandering the landscape. Another revelatory element is the artist’s approach to the depiction of crosses, which are not given physical form but essentially exist as the space between physical matter.

Shining on the left wall of the exhibition space is the playful and light-hearted Clouds series. Though some of the pieces were previously shown at the 2023 Jablonec Triennial with the subtitle Computer&Jewellery (Contemporary Art Jewellery), there are several new and previously unexhibited items here as well. The objects are made of Perspex (acrylic glass) that has been sculpted into the shape of harmonious clouds, and into these Kučera has woven electronic components that evoke a strict technological order possessing its own particular aesthetic while also acting as a source of soft light.

Conceptually, Cross Section takes an approach to functional design not usually seen in Czech jewellery; absolutely precise and time-consuming craftsmanship produces an object that can be either a piece of jewellery or a miniature sculpture.

Jaroslav Kučera – The road to KOW

I actually first encountered metal as a child. Both my parents worked with it. I got into jewellery-making during my time at the Secondary Art School in Turnov, where I specialised in jewellery and silversmithing. Although this is where I gained my first experience with the craft, my main source of inspiration ended up being my study of sculpture under Professor V. K. Novák at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, which also shaped my approach to jewellery as an object.

I see jewellery as an autonomous object – a sculpture created using jewellery-making techniques. It is an approach that I further explored during the semester that I spent studying sculpture at the Winchester School of Art. Another valuable experience was when I had the opportunity to meet Professor Susan Ewing during my postgraduate studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I studied silversmithing techniques that involve the creation of functional objects that straddle the line between art and design.

Metal and metalworking techniques are the foundations that define my art, but they often inspire me to work with other materials as well. For me, craftsmanship forms the starting point in my search for unexpected and unique solutions. I enjoy working on an object as much as I enjoy the conceptual and design process. Whenever possible, I create the piece myself, and nearly all the objects are made by my own two hands.

Jaroslav Kučera has showed his work at domestic and international jewellery exhibitions and symposia since 1996 (Estonia, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, USA…). His KOW brand can be found at the following shops: Kubista, Futurista Universum and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague and GASK in Kutná Hora.