Jiří Duchek belongs to a new generation of craftsmen who work not only for the sake of utility, but for the sake of the thing itself. The shift of pottery towards free creation is obvious; not only tea bowls and teapots are in demand, but also purely decorative vessels of indeterminate purpose. Inspiration often comes from distant regions, with Japan in particular being the promised land of potters, where a product fired in a wood-fired kiln represents a kind of national ideal of beauty and originality. Mingei strives for what is essential: a "healthy shape" in harmony with nature and craft. That Duchek has embraced this poetics of Japanese potters is not surprising, since he too is close to nature and harmony. In a world of technical design and shape effects, mingei lessons are like a miraculous sip of pure spring water. Jiří Duchek, a man who works with fire and the elements, is half magician, but a hard-working magician, enchanted by poetry, no ally of hell.
But Duchek is also a pilgrim, who wanders the landscape in a magical way, observing the action of the elements, whether in the present or in times long past. Like a dowser, he knows where to stop, where the water is, and where the ancient fire of the earth roars. Like a prospector, he collects clay samples and searches for that unique essence he values above gold...
Josef Kroutvor.
