ABOUT
Any use of the glue is considered by Michaela to be a degradation of her creative work, everything must remain authentic, laborious, complicated. The long and strenuous production process is important for the development of the work. Over time, the "body" grows and folds into a kind of hybrid. Imperfections of the surface or shape are an integral part of the work. It reflects the real reality of processing old glass at home. And in the same way, according to Michaela, it reflects the imperfection (not only) of her own body and human work, which could of course be replaced by the current technology of machine-made bars, or by a milling machine for the production of a perfect material. "But it would no longer be me who always chooses the more difficult path for self-realization".
„She graduated from the Secondary School of Glassmaking in Kamenický Šenov, then continued her studies at the jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem at the Faculty of Art and Design, first at the Glass studio of associate professor Ilja Bílek, and later she also studied curatorial work at the same university. During her studies, she completed several internships abroad, specially at the Pécs Tudományegyet University in Hungary in the Studio of Classical Painting, in the Studio of Glass and ceramics at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and then as a curator at the Gallery Outlet Istanbul. After graduating she has been working at the Faculty of Multimedia Communications of Tomas Bata University in Zlín in the Glass Design studio sith professor Petr Stanický. At the same time she is developing her professional experience as a curator at the Deska Gallery in ústí nad Labem. It is remarkable not only because it was created by the reconstruction of public toilets, but it also attracts attention mainly thanks to the unmissable exhibition program, which is clearly defined and is different from the official art scene in the city.
Spružinová uses all these diverse experiences in her work. She has several solo exhibitions in the Czech Republic and germany, and the number of group exhibitions she has participated reaches almost fifty. She is representative of young generation of Czech glassmakers with a distinctive and original author’s style, both in terms of ideas and material processing. She uses a completely unique method, where she pullls the threads from the shards herself, bends them in the furnance, and then composes 3D figurative objects from them. This original but demaning procedure arose spontaneously during her improvisation on one of her residencies.
She is extremly thoughtful and dedicates herself to glass in a broader context and in greater depth than usual. The installations she creates are new and fresh in terms of their concept. They address the current social issues and represent a very personal statement of the author on certain topics. They almost always provoke a strong response, sometimes even fuss, or even demands for removal. They are slightly provocative, sometimes even sarcastic, but at the same time they are funny, if we can look at them with some exaggeration. However, the intention of the author is by no means to provoke, her goal is to critically reflect consumer society, the world of contemporary pop culture, to draw attention to the paradoxes of fashion trends and the boundless obsession with artifical perfection and flawlessness of the physical body. She also often works with her own body. Her statements oppose established clichés, prejudices and taboos and push the boundaries of perception of what is generally considered perfect, both in glass itself and in the commonly percevied concept of the ideal beauty.“
Text by Curator Marika Gálová