Born out from an exploration into the Venetian mirror-making tradition, “Fading reflection” is two mirror objects that seek to disrupt our perception of what tradition represents. The object reflects upon the idealization of traditional crafts, and imagine a scenario where the tradition is a never-ending constant evolution; artifacts become the container of continual flux, materializing the transition between its history, surroundings, and human.
As the winner of the first edition of the Venice Design Biennial Residency 2020, Tadeáš Podracký exhibited “Fading reflection”, the result of his Venetian experience in contact with the local artisan tradition of Berta Battiloro and Ongaro and Fuga Specchi Veneziani. These latest works manifested through an exploration of Venetian mirror-making tradition with the aim of disrupting our perception of what tradition represents.

Podracký’s mirrors invite the viewer to envision a scenario where tradition is a neverending constant evolution. Through exploring materials that are traditionally obscured, such as the wooden frames, Podracký brings these to the surface and gives them their
maximal scope. This is represented by transition, the further from the centre of the mirror the more the traditional constant dissolves and other materials emerge. By reevaluating these principles of tradition and crafts Podracký develops works that maintain historic relevance but also achieve a multi-layered identity by combining unconventional elements.