CGD23

Jiří Krejčiřík is a talented and universal designer who is immensely skilled in working with wood and glass. His works over the past few seasons are among the best which Czechia produced. And 2023 was no exception. The prestigious Alcova space at the Salone del Mobile in Milan was the best place to launch Jiří’s wooden masterpiece – Anne Altar. The product was created in collaboration with the Czech producer Futuro and builds on their long-term collaboration from previous years. The current solitaire piece again uses precious wood which it composes into an exceptional single whole with unique shapes and meticulous craftsmanship. This makes for a piece of furniture which is striking in its color scheme and avantgarde form, connecting historical references with a modern spirit and complex attention to detail.

Jiří’s art consists in achieving a genius mix of craft details and an outwardly free poetics of shape. His works are exceptional in their resistance to categorization. They are personable and sophisticated. Playful and confident. His approach is particularly refreshing in the Czech context, and he does not let himself be tied down by what’s trending, nor by the limits of the market. Jiří’s designs are part of the sphere of genius design which fulfills the needs of functionality but is art in itself. This was confirmed by his project from 2023 where Jiří designed a bench which combines wood and textile. The unusual composition is completed by robust, steel legs. The interesting triad of materials makes this item another authentic and unique piece.

Jiří Krejčiřík got his degree from the studio of product and industrial design at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Pilsen, and one important direction of this young designer’s work is designing lightings. In contrast to his almost expressionist furniture, Jiří’s lighting designs are stylistically softer. But their streamlined aesthetics do not take away their unique specificity. And again, they combine a sense for detail with an unusual morphology. Jiří Krejčiřík is an exceptional person – firmly based in tradition but full of exalting passion. One would be hard pressed to find a similar artist in all contemporary Czech design.

Veronika Pařízková