The Czech artist Ondrej Svoboda followed a very craftsman-like path to metal processing and design. He first came to sculpture by way of metallurgy, which he studied in Brno. Here he specialised in forging, and thus his works are still marked by exact knowledge of the material as well as how a craftsman would treat it. The move to fine arts, which he made immediately after getting his degree, was certainly a gamble. His success as a freelance sculptor shows he was right, however. Since 2003, Svoboda has been regularly included in exhibitions and his works, designed with a clear, sometimes impressively simple design vocabulary, are held in high esteem by critics and collectors alike – perhaps also because he often adds a pinch of humour.