27. 9. – 31. 10. 2026
Glasmuseum der Achilles-Stiftung, Fuhlsbüttler Str. 415a, Hamburg, Germany
The Glass Studio at Prague’s UMPRUM builds on the strong glassmaking tradition of the art school. The work of selected students and their teachers will be presented in the exhibition Power of Transparency at the Glass Museum of the Achilles Foundation, creating a symbolic connection with a parallel presentation of works by Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová.
Stanislav Libenský taught at the Academy, where he had a profound influence on several generations of Czech glass artists. His legacy is carried forward by the Glass Studio under the direction of Rony Plesl, who builds on the Academy’s long-standing glassmaking tradition while bringing it into dialogue with contemporary practices. The studio places a strong emphasis on conceptual rigor, encouraging students to develop an independent artistic voice beyond the dictates of trends and superficial aestheticism. Their work spans a broad spectrum, from design and applied arts to fine art with a strong conceptual dimension.
“The exhibition Power of Transparency builds on a long tradition of presenting Czech contemporary glass in Hamburg, a tradition that was cultivated for many years by the Stölting family’s Glasgalerie Stölting. To have the opportunity to present the work of a new generation emerging from Prague’s UMPRUM alongside works by Professor Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová at the Glasmuseum der Achilles-Stiftung, one of the most significant foundations supporting glass art, is truly exceptional,” says Rony Plesl, head of the Glass Studio, reflecting on the opportunity to exhibit in Hamburg.
The exhibition will feature a selection of works by seven students and their two teachers, Rony Plesl and Klára Horáčková. The presentation highlights a diverse range of approaches to glass, encompassing different techniques and ways of engaging with the material, united by a high level of craftsmanship. The exhibition will also include the presentation of the Achilles-Stiftung’s Young Talent Award, which will be presented to one of the participating students.
Anna Martinková presents a collection inspired by the architecture of Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel. Anne Ryšavá explores themes of transience, transformation, and the body, with a particular interest in glass in its molten state. In his work, Jan Hrůza examines the relationship between body, space, and material. He draws on everyday objects, transforming and recombining them to create new conceptual and material relationships.
Lan Dinh Le Ngoc draws on personal experience and close observation of everyday life. Through photography, objects, text, and glass, she gives form to fragile networks of relationships. Lukáš Wasserbauer brings themes of everyday life, gastronomy, and architecture into his glass practice. He reduces familiar objects to minimalist forms, bringing their essential qualities to the fore.
Sára Nedbálková presents the project Not All That Glitters Is Gold, in which she works with high-gloss surfaces, painting on glass, and metal plating. Stella Stropková approaches her work through the lens of sculpture. She experiments with different materials, exploring ways of giving new life to those that have already served their original purpose.
The Glass Studio’s head, Rony Plesl, explores in his sculptural work the relationship between details of the human body and motifs drawn from nature. Through monumental scale and the concealment of certain details, he heightens a sense of mystery surrounding transience, birth, and death. Religion and sexuality play a central role in his practice. For Power of Transparency, he will present a series of flower sculptures created using his unique Vitrum Vivum glass-fusing technique.
The practice of Glass Studio assistant Klára Horáčková encompasses intimate sculptural objects as well as large-scale installations. In Hamburg, she will present Wreath (Contemplation on Victory), a fragile yet potentially wounding glass wreath that explores the ambivalent nature of victory. Her second work, Twins from the Evolution series, draws on principles of growth in both the organic and inorganic worlds and their parallels with architecture.
Power of Transparency thus brings together several generations and a diverse range of approaches to glass—from the seminal legacy of Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, through Rony Plesl’s contemporary pedagogical practice, to the work of an emerging generation of artists.
