If the name Pokorny wasn’t a dead giveaway, I’m part Czech. When I came across Petra Voglova’s lamps I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was too! Born in 1980 in Krnov to be exact.
Her works are made from one of my favorite materials, porcelain. They are also carved works, not simply hand built.
The patterns she chooses to carve into her pieces are inspired by nature for the most part – giraffe, lava, zebra – they’re all prints we can somewhat recognize.
By carving the porcelain she is emphasizing its translucent qualities – similar to the lamps I loved from Lilach Lotan.
Petra not only makes organic, apostrophe shaped lamps as well as tealights but her egg forms are really cool too. They look to be about the size and shape of ostrich eggs, which my mother collects, breaks and turns into mosaics in most cases. These pieces look like they are near their breaking points but it also looks like they would shatter in regular, organized patterns.
She talks about her works as though they can fit in your hand, which may in part explain the price point, which seems pretty reasonable – 100-200 pounds.
I love the piercing she’s doing too – reminds me of Isabelle Abramson whom I met at SoWa Open Studios a few weeks ago.
I just think they’re so beautiful. I’d love a few of these on the porch. I can’t imagine having just one but maybe three or more – they carry a lot of personality with them so I think they’d need friends around.
Tags: porcelain, pottery, repetitive, translucent