Description

Cirkus, Petra Hřebačková, 2023

At first glance, Cirkus is one of Petra Hřebačková’s most playful works. Its basic silhouette resembles a car – four prominent wheels, a low elongated body and a rounded upper line create an object that is immediately recognisable while still remaining somewhere between a concrete motif and an autonomous glass sculpture.

Cirkus is not a realistic model of a car. Petra Hřebačková takes its fundamental characteristics – movement, direction, speed and above all the wheels – and translates them into her own visual language based on colour, transparency and optical play. This is where the title of the work itself begins to make sense. There is exaggeration, movement, colour and a certain visual theatricality within it. The object feels immediate and joyful, yet behind its apparent lightness lies precise construction and technically demanding work with glass.

A car is naturally associated with movement. Cirkus, however, remains firmly in place and still appears as though it is constantly ready to set off. The four wheels play a major role in creating this impression. They are made up of coloured segments radiating towards the centre, producing an optical effect reminiscent of a spinning colour disc. The eye almost automatically completes the sense of motion.

Red, yellow, green, blue, orange and other tones create a strong rhythm while simultaneously emphasising the individual parts of the construction. Colour here is not merely decorative. It forms part of the object itself and contributes to the way we read the work.

The central part of the object is comparatively calmer. Its rounded and lighter surfaces provide a counterbalance to the vivid wheels and hold the entire composition together. Cirkus may appear spontaneous, but its creation depends on precision. The individual elements must be carefully planned in advance so that, once assembled, they form a coherent spatial object. The circular elements composed of coloured segments are particularly demanding, as even a small inaccuracy would quickly become visible.

Following thermal processing and controlled cooling, the glass undergoes grinding and further mechanical finishing. Grinding determines the clarity of the edges, the way the individual sections connect and the manner in which light subsequently enters the material. Final polishing also plays an important role. In transparent coloured glass, it allows light to penetrate deep into the object, enhances the colour transitions and gives the individual surfaces the necessary optical clarity.

The result is a work that feels almost carefree, despite the considerable technical discipline behind its creation.

With dimensions of 19 × 48 × 21 cm, Cirkus is a horizontally oriented object that works well on a wider chest of drawers, console, low pedestal or independent plinth. It benefits from a certain degree of visual calm around it. The colour is strong enough that the object does not need additional decorative competition. On the contrary, it works best in an environment where it can become the main accent.

Against a light, neutral background, the pure colours will appear at their most vivid. A darker background, on the other hand, can strengthen the transparency of the glass and emphasise the luminous edges. The work also combines particularly well with natural materials such as wood or stone.

Cirkus can be successfully placed in a contemporary residential interior, study, entrance hall or creative space, where its playfulness and colour create a memorable visual focal point. In daylight, the coloured sections appear lighter and more transparent, while side or focused lighting emphasises the edges, layers and coloured reflections.

As the viewing angle changes, some segments begin to overlap and the colours interact optically with one another. The car itself therefore remains physically still, while the sense of movement takes place within the glass and in the viewer’s perception. Created in 2023, Cirkus represents a highly distinctive aspect of Petra Hřebačková’s practice. It combines the recognisable motif of a car with abstract colour, optical transformation and technical precision.

For collectors, it may be particularly appealing because of its strong identity. It is neither neutral nor discreet. Within a space, it creates its own centre of attention while also offering details that reward repeated viewing. It is a work capable of appealing both to an experienced collector of contemporary glass and to someone encountering studio glass for the first time.

Cirkus is a car that does not need to travel anywhere to create a sense of movement.

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