Štefan Oriško
Gabriela Luptáková (born 1947) is well-known in contemporary Slovak ceramics, especially for her clay objects with their dominating details. Her great skill with the craft elevated her clay objects to be a valuable part of ceramics. In recent years she became interested in ceramic design. She started to devote time to drawing and painting on paper and the creation of jewellery. “I have a feeling as if ceramics was not at the same level; other types of media are at the centre of attention… My experience from past years when I held exhibitions of mainly small gift ceramics in the most lucrative places in Bratislava is mainly sceptical… Neither society nor the era has advanced to appreciate design… I am giving myself the question of who is the visitor to a gallery. The new money levels of our society – entrepreneurs or so called get-rich-quick people (I do not know any other name than that) – have not yet become accustomed to visiting galleries… The exhibition Rings in Water, where crafts can be presented, is extraordinary and praiseworthy… I was especially pleased with the extraordinary attention which the city, gallery as well as factory in Kalinovo gave this year to our oldest ceramic symposium in Lučenec. If I take into consideration my long-term experience from pedagogical activities at the School of Utilitarian Artistry in Bratislava, I think it is necessary to devote time to leading design, despite its current restricted possibilities for use. The school’s work is not to “produce” conceptual artists as if on a conveyor belt. Students should rather learn the craft and then they can build on it.