Description
Secret Ritual, Petr Stacho, 2025
Petr Stacho’s Secret Ritual is a work with a distinctive inner glow. It does not feel like a quiet object meant to be observed passively from a distance. Rather, it suggests that something is already taking place — a moment that has begun before the viewer arrives, with the action now concealed within the glass.
At first glance, the intense amber-orange colour immediately draws the eye. The glass evokes fire, honey, resin, molten metal or sunlight captured within solid matter. The colour is neither flat nor simple. Within the volume of the glass, it shifts from lighter golden tones to deeper orange and reddish hues. Where the material is thicker, the colour becomes denser, taking on an almost magmatic depth. Along the edges and in thinner areas, by contrast, it brightens and transmits light with remarkable intensity.
The form of the object suggests an open circle, a torso, a fragment or a gateway. It is not perfectly closed, and that is precisely what makes it compelling. The central opening creates a tension between mass and empty space. The void at the centre is not merely an absence of material; it is an active part of the work. The glass surrounds it, frames it and allows the surrounding world to pass through. The viewer is not only looking at the object, but through it — and this is particularly important in Stacho’s work: here, glass is not a barrier, but a means of seeing.
The fused-glass technique is fundamental here. It allows the artist to work with volume, depth of colour and the internal structure of the material. At high temperatures, the glass softens, merges and takes on form, while still retaining a certain sense of vitality. The subsequent grinding and polishing give the object its final precision. The ground areas define the form, reveal cross-sections and create surfaces on which light behaves differently from the more textured sections. The polished surface, by contrast, opens up the depth of the glass and allows the colour to fully come alive.
In an interior, Secret Ritual will work best as a standalone piece. It deserves a calm setting and good lighting. It should not be surrounded by too many other objects, as its strength lies in its transparency, depth of colour and relationship with the surrounding space. Ideally, it should be displayed on a dedicated pedestal, a console, a sideboard, or in a larger space where it has enough room to breathe. Thanks to its intense colour, it can immediately become a focal point without ever feeling merely decorative.
Lighting determines the entire atmosphere of this work. With backlighting, the orange glass seems to ignite almost like a flame. Side lighting emphasises the textured surfaces and reveals the internal structure. Focused evening lighting can transform the object into an almost sacred presence within the space, while daylight gives it a softer and more natural character.
In an interior, the work can become an exceptionally powerful presence. In a modern space, it creates a warm contrast with stone, concrete, metal or neutral tones. In an environment with wood, its amber colouring feels softer and more natural. In a more traditional interior, it can resonate with the atmosphere of historic materials while remaining unmistakably contemporary. That is one of the beautiful qualities of exceptional glass: it can connect different worlds without having to adapt itself to them.
Secret Ritual is well suited to collectors who are looking not only for formal perfection, but also for expressive power. It carries an energy that is impossible to overlook, while still leaving enough space for the viewer’s own interpretation. From a collector’s perspective, Secret Ritual is compelling for its combination of intense colour, spatial composition and technically demanding execution. Fused, ground and polished glass belongs to a discipline in which value is created not only by the material itself, but also by time, experience and the artist’s ability to shape both form and light. With an object this distinctive, its strong visual identity is equally important. It does not feel interchangeable. It stays in the viewer’s memory.
In contemporary studio glass, long-term potential lies precisely in work that goes beyond decoration — work with its own formal language, technical quality and emotional strength.
Secret Ritual does not feel like an object simply placed within a space. It feels like an event — a quiet ritual of light that begins each time a beam falls upon it. Perhaps that is where its mystery lies. There is no need to know exactly what ritual is unfolding within. It is enough to pause for a moment and let the glass enact it for us.
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