Masterworks in glass

Over a career that has spanned more than five decades, Václav Cigler has gained international recognition for his glass sculptures that interact with their surroundings, especially large-scale projects built into architecture and works installed in the natural environment. He was the head of the department of glass in architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava from 1965 to 1979, where he had a major influence on the development of architectural glass in Czechoslovakia.

"Meeting Places," an exhibition at Museum Kampa organized to mark the artist's 80th birthday, centers around several large installations that combine his lifelong themes - glass, water, space, light and the individual. All of the pieces were created over the past two years and leave no doubt that the octogenarian artist is still at the height of his creative powers.

Cigler is best known for working with elementary geometric forms and the optical qualities of glass to "activate" the surrounding environment. His sculptures come alive as they reflect the space around them, and they in turn enliven the space they interact with - especially when an individual steps into the picture.

Visitors encounter Cigler immediately upon entering the courtyard. His installation Strolling from 2008 consists of large mirrored glass sculptures that reflect the viewer as well the museum complex, making an immediate connection between the individual and the surrounding environment. Another piece, Light Trail from 2009, marks a path for the visitor to follow with a line of light encased in two horizontal steel elements.

To reach the main exhibition room on the ground floor, visitors walk over an enclosed glass footbridge that Cigler made for the museum during its reconstruction in 2000-2001. It offers a good example of how Cigler combines his main themes: As visitors walk over a glass bridge, a stream of water flows directly under their feet and out to the Vltava River, connecting the individual to the water, the water to the building, and the building to the environment beyond its walls.

Passing from the walkway through translucent glass doors, the viewer enters a meditative space containing two large sculptures. Water Surface, Rippled Surface, Pulsing Surface (2009) is a black reflecting pool whose calm, mirror-like surface is gently disrupted at intervals in two spots, caused by a pulse below the water's surface. These periodic hiccups create subtle ripple effects on the surface, and then the water returns to silent stillness.

The second piece, Light Field (2009), is made up of two rows of 58 light tubes sandwiched between sheets of matte glass. The lights cycle on and off, slowly reaching full capacity before gradually winding down. Visitors who stay in the space for any length of time may find themselves physiologically falling into sync with the rhythm of the light, which is almost like a condensed circadian cycle.

It may be hard to leave the tranquility of this space to venture upstairs to see photographs of sculptures in situ, drawings and a video. In this room, visitors also can browse through books about the artist and his work.

The high point of the exhibition, both figuratively and literally, is on the museum's rooftop terrace. After passing over another glass footbridge designed by Cigler, the viewer enters into a fabulous space that is part of the sculpture. This installation, titled Meeting Place (2009), is made up of reflective glass panels set up to create an enclosed arena. Yet there's no sense of being situated within a confined outdoor space; rather, the viewer feels like the outside world has suddenly been brought closer, and he is part of it. When the sky is clear, the viewer is awash in intense blue color and light.

In light of Cigler's considerable contribution to shaping the experience of visiting Museum Kampa - in particular, the bridges that link the complex to the adjacent Vltava River as well as to the outdoor surroundings - this jubilee exhibition is a fitting tribute to Cigler's remarkable career and the creative synergy he helped the museum achieve.

His new pieces in this show make an even more remarkable impression, and succeed in forming a unique connection among the artwork, the museum, the world outside and the individual.

Mimi Fronczak Rogers can be reached at
Features@praguepost.com