CGD

Jiří Krejčiřík is certainly among the most notable persons working in Czech design of the past decade. He is very skilled in originally capturing historical references and combining them with contemporary aesthetic tendencies, offering a new, revamped vision of postmodernity. He made this wise step at a time when most people were still enamored with minimalism, but many were also starting to tire of it. His style is difficult to define, but he presented it with complete self-confidence. Jiří seems to have a boundless capacity for spatial and material experimentation, often directly working with historical features and references.

But over the last year, his work became a bit more subdued. Apart from his more expressive furniture pieces, he also started producing simpler designs which show the particular nobility and originality of his style. What most impressed the jury was Jiří’s work on his own studio at Prague’s Vinohrady. He says he designed everything in it: “From A to Z – from the metalwork on the doors, to the floors, and everything in between.” And the floor is indeed a concept piece of its own. The designer inlaid it with stones which have a sentimental value for him. And he used the same motif for the concrete work table of the Scene21 modular kitchen, which uses original stainless plating on the doors and is adorned with unique metal fittings. The office table he rendered in a slightly provocative style – it is three meters long and fulfills all necessary functional requirements. Much like in the case of the beautiful foldable furniture of the Fold-able collection, the designer employed expressive shapes and colors. The selected materials and Jiří’s first-rate craftsmanship transform these archetypally simple pieces into items of luxury. In the past year, he launched the adapted version of the YKB commode, which employs notable fluting and, for me personally, is the best example of Krejčiřík’s balancing act on the border between design and art.

Tereza Kozlová

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