Alena Matejka
Alena Matejka is a Czech sculptor and glass designer. She also works with other materials, often in combination.
Education
Matejka was born in Jindřichův Hradec; she studied at the Secondary School of Glassmaking in Kamenický Šenov from 1981 until 1985. She was a student of Professor Vladimir Kopecky at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague between 1989 and 1997. In 1995 she studied for two months at the Glasgow School of Art, in the Ceramic Department. From 2000 to 2005 she studied for a PhD, again at the AAAD.Work
Matejka creates small and large sculptures from stone, marble, glass and ice. She creates small sculptures which float on water, but also builds huge installations such as the one in the underground Baroque casemates in Vyšehrad. Gorlice is a major installation in the underground hall in the old castle of Vyšehrad, consisting of a central colonnade of stone, with multiple stops, each with a different sculpture symbolising the choices one faces in life.While in Scotland in 1995, she developed an interest in studying ancient tombs and their ornamentation, and also visited old settlements. Later, she made a series of kettles from glass. This has fragments from her journey in Scotland, inspired by the landscape, the people, and the old Scottish culture. The kettles were given chassis, wheels and fictional royal names.
In 2007, she created a bath tub made out of a single block of red granite from Sweden, entitled I sink, therefore I am, a pun on René Descartes' statement, I think, therefore I am. On the outside of the tub is a longer quote by Descartes.
She received first prize in international competitions in both Murano, Italy and Ebeltoft, Denmark for her sculptures in stone and glass.
Projects
She has been involved in several projects, often in collaboration with her husband Lars Widenfalk, a sculptor who works mainly with stone; usually marble and granite, but also with other materials such as glass.Artlantis is one of these projects, themed around the myth of Atlantis, and consisting of eight glass water containers. In four of these containers Matejka placed four granite houses, of varying sizes and architectural styles. Over the houses, hanging in the water, are small sculptures shaped like flowers, boats, doll heads and three hundred glass beads. These are all made of a special glass that reflects light in a distinctive way. Matejka's contribution was more the dreamy, fantasies and thoughts. Lars Widenfalk chose a more concrete or archaeological approach, with its granite sculptures of humans with live fish in the water containers.
Bed of Roses is made of ice and roses under the stay in Luleå Winter Biennial. A large "bed" in transparent ice is placed inside a housing. Several red roses are frozen inside the bed. The ice is the symbol of eternity, while roses symbolise life and love.
Another project was Magic Carpet, consisting of large flying carpets made of glass. The two heaviest glass carpets weigh 300 kg each.
Publications
- Matějková, Alena, Hájek, Jiří, Hájek, Milan: Preparation of Glass for Sculpture Casting using Microwave Energy, 14th Conference on Electric and Other Highly Efficient Methods of Glass Melting, České Budějovice, September 2007