The honourable nomination for the title of “Appreciated Glass Artist 2006/07” was awarded to Rait Prääts.

Rait Prääts calls himself a craftsman of the twenty-first century, and that he is, in the highest meaning of the word. As an artist he has captured epic ideas by working with traditional methods. This reflects the modern paradox as it stands—to materialize idea into glass there is still no other process, but age-old technique. Rait Prääts is a well known creator of sculptures and monumental art. Many churches and public buildings in Estonia and Finland display stained glass windows created by him. During the last years strong pictorial style has become unmistakable signature of Rait Prääts, making his collections like miniature dramatic plays. Through the many transparent layers and illusion of movement the glass sculpture transforms these objects into meditative manifestations.

yesornothisisaquestion: „Do You Want Them to Sop?” 2008; silkscreen print, enamel painting, fusing, coldworking; h 29 x 28 x 11 cm

Rait Prääts´s artistic creation has strong social undercurrent. He depicts his objects often as icons in the context of surroundings. The author hints of specific cultural landscapes, but in most of his works there is also strong contact with each individual, found especially when mirroring interactions and relationships between people. Using pleasurable irony, Rait Prääts is dealing with the issues of contemporary advertising which offer the whole truth of making our lives so much easier by superfast methods.

Virve Kiil