GHMP Art Book Fair – The Schedule of the Accompanying Program

10 am–4 pm — back garden
Apple Juice from the Château (GHMP + Metro Farm)

During the day you can try to make apple juice from the château orchard. As the year has 365 days, our orchard has 365 apple trees. We grow both common and historic varieties of apples and our orchard produces plenty of tasty, chemical-free fruit every year. You can pick your own apples or just use the press to make juice. For the reasons of hygiene, we ask visitors to bring their own containers to for tasting the juice or taking it home. We thank Metro Farm community garden for their support.

10 am–4 pm (with occasional breaks) — back garden
Cultural Fermentation: the Essence of Late summer with Lenka Kubelová

The workshop explores the flavor profile of the place with wild fermented beverages made from locally grown herbs and apples from the orchard. It also aims to inspire simple and energy-efficient preservation of food and flavors, as well as exploration of the abundance that is freely available within the city. The event is an accompanying program to the exhibition Touch the River! prepared by the Institute of Planning and Development Prague.

IMPORTANT: Bring your own tasting cup and resealable bottle to take home your own fermentation project.

1–2 pm — auditorium
Bio Troja presents (GHMP)

Plantlovers

We would like to invite you to the launch of a new book called Plantlovers. The Invisible Botany of Urban Spaces, which traces five years of the Haenke initiative in Prague in the context of the contemporary houseplant phenomenon, with the participation of its author, Alexandra Střelcová. Alexandra will be a guest of the “BioTroja presents” category, which focuses on new book titles related to the environment and ecology.

Touch The River!

Until the end of October, visitors to Prague’s district of Troja can see the exhibition Touch the River!. The Troja Basin and Císařský ostrov are one of the most valuable and largest natural areas of Prague, currently undergoing revitalization. The exhibition is dedicated to the river, its landscape and its people. As part of the Art Book Fair, we present the exhibition catalogue and a meeting with architect Mark Kundrata from the Institute of Planning and Development Prague.

2–3 pm — auditorium
Discussion on Pricing (GHMP + Association of Small Publishers and Booksellers)

Dive into the ins and outs of book practice with us and find out the answers to questions you may not have thought of before. Choosing what to read? And who chooses it for us if not us? Who gets the biggest cut of the money we spend on books? The author, the publisher, the printer, or the distributor? These are not the only questions we will be answering in this discussion.

3–4 pm — auditorium
Price versus Value, discussion (GHMP + ArtMap)

What is an art book worth? How does the publisher approach it, and how does the reader? Is it possible in the Czech environment to create and sell art books profitably without the customers having to dig deep into their pockets? The discussion will revolve around the pricing of art publications produced in the specific Czech environment. The invited guests are representatives of the whole range of the publishing industry from zine makers to small and medium-sized publishers to the largest ones who have been around for a long time.

4–5 pm — auditorium
launch of the catalogue “Heroin Crystal” (GHMP)

The exhibition catalogue Heroin Crystal documents the recent exhibition of the same name through five texts, addressing the more general questions related to the interdisciplinary perception of art of the 1990s and progressing towards the institutional reflection of Prague City Gallery’s own collection. Prague City Gallery was the first Czech public institution to deal with contemporary art not only in its exhibition activities, but also in its acquisitions, initiated by two important figures of art history of the period in question – Prague City Gallery’s curators Olga Malá and Karel Srp, who are now perceived as co-creators of the image of the 1990s in curatorial practice as well as art history as such. The catalogue will be discussed by Prague City Gallery’s curators, the author of the exhibition Olga Malá and Jakub Král, one of the authors of the texts.

4–5 pm — small salon * garden under the redwoods, if the weather permits
Interactive reading of “The Spotted Ears and the Dried Villains” (Meander publishing house)

The popular writer and poet Daniela Fischerová prepared an interactive reading of her fairy tale for older children with illustrations by Daniel Michalík. You can look forward to the story of ten dwarfish and dried villains from prehistoric times, as well as the tribe of the Spotted Ears and its shaman. The Spotted Ears and the Dried Villains offers an unusual tale of justice, love, responsibility and awareness.

5–6 pm — small salon *garden under the redwoods, if the weather permits
Limits of Distribution Abroad, discussion (GHMP + ArtMap)

Discussion on the distribution of Czech art publications abroad. How to get Czech art books published in English into the right bookstores? Publishers are facing the lack of interest of Western distributors and are forced to take the path of complicated individual distribution. How to change this? A work table for all publishers who are interested in this issue and who can share their experiences.

6–7 pm — auditorium
launch of the book “City in the Storm”, Richard Biegel (Karolinum)

The book deals with the urban architecture of the historical center of Prague at a time when it was changing from a picturesque suburb into an ambitious big city. In six chapters, it traces not only the birth and promotion of new ideas, but also the growing awareness of the city’s heritage value, culminating in its designation as a Prague Conservation Area in 1971.

7–7.20 pm — in front of the château

Opening of the fair by Magdalena Juříková, Director of Prague City Gallery, in the Troja Château garden

7.30–9 pm — in front of the château
concert of Aran Epochal in the Troja Château garden

Aran Epochal (aka Adam Nenadál) is a man with a bass guitar in his hands and with verses on his lips. His albums The End of August (2015) and The Bronze Age (2017) offer listeners a phantom walk through the Czech landscape, and it is to be expected that in the garden of Troja Château he will address his audience from both the human and bat populations.

1–2 pm — auditorium
Le Corbusier Galaxy: The World of Friends from the Paris Studio in Photographs from František Sammer’s Collection, Martina Hrabová

A forgotten collection of photographs reveals a unique insight into the community that was created in the studio of one of the greatest architects of the 20th century – Le Corbusier. The author presents Czech architect František Sammer and his photographs from 1931–1939, which she discovered in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India. She thus opens a previously unseen look behind the scenes of the history of modern architecture.

1–3 pm — stables
Presentation of authors

This year, Prague City Gallery in association with ArtMap wants to enable participation in the Art Book Fair not only to publishers and institutions, but also for individual authors and groups who are engaged in the creation of artists’ books and fanzines. This new section can be found in the Troja Château stables, where the accompanying program will include presentations by several of these authors.

3–4 pm — auditorium
The Phenomenon of the Artist’s Book, Lucie Rohanová

Discussion on the phenomenon of the artist’s book with the co-author of At the End There Was a Book. What is an artist’s book? When it came into being? How does it differ from an art publication? What are the specifics of the artist’s book in the Czech lands? Who among our artists has worked on it? These and other questions will be asked and attempted to be answered in the lecture, followed by a discussion for those interested in a deeper exploration of this diverse artistic genre.

4–5 — auditorium
Why the Artist’s Book in Particular? Lucie Rohanová

Discussion following the lecture on the phenomenon of the artist’s book. A joint reflection on the nature of artist’s book both from the point of view of form (crossover of illustration, typography, artistic bookbinding) and background ideas: What drives artists who express themselves in a fundamentally static way to use a medium whose very essence is the possibility of taking place in time?

4–5 pm — small salon *garden under the redwoods, if the weather permits
Author reading of Petr Borkovec’s “Blue Agave”

Writer, translator and editor Petr Borkovec reads from his latest book Blue Agave. The beings from that book are neither here nor there. Many of them are (often) asleep or go home after midnight. They are quiet. A strip of flickering light streams from their room through a keyhole. The world they live in is as impenetrable as tropical plants in the jungle – and when a bit of it is revealed, we are filled with wonder. We hold in our hands the notes of a night’s waking, the herbarium of dreams and keyhole views, the delicate minuscule work, the lianas of the inner rainforest. The book of poetry by Petr Borkovec illustrated by Michaela Kukovičová was published by Baobab in 2022.

5–6 pm — auditorium
Launch of Petr Wittlich’s book “On Sculpture and Sculptors” (Karolinum)

In a series of his studies, Wittlich traces the story of European modern sculpture. In addition to the key figure of this development, Auguste Rodin, he focuses his attention on František Bílek, Ladislav Šaloun, Bohumil Kafka, Jan Štursa and Otto Gutfreund and reflects on E. A. Bourdelle, Aristide Maillol, Jacques Lipchitz and Henry Moore. He concludes the topic with a discussion on Giacometti and American sculpture in the 1960s.

6–7 pm — small salon *garden under the redwoods, if the weather permits
Author reading of Katarína Poliačiková’s “Meeting Dürer” (Jiri Svestka Gallery)

The Slovak artist will present her original texts from her exhibition The Melancholy Mad Tenant at Jiri Svestka Gallery, which depict her journey to the Moravian Gallery in Brno in search of Albrecht Dürer’s Melancholy I. During the Art Book Fair, in collaboration with Jiri Svestka Gallery, she will present this publication in the form of an intimate travelogue, accompanied by a series of photographs documenting this “meeting with Dürer”.

Saturday 24 September 2022

11 am–12 pm
Guided tour of Troja Château with Martin Mádl

During the tour, visitors will learn about the artists who created paintings in the apartments, galleries, the chapel and the main hall, about their models and about the meaning of the depicted allegories.

11 am–12 pm
Guided tour of the outdoor exhibition “Touch the River!” with architect Marek Kundrata (IPR)

Become a “Trojan Walker” and walk through the exhibition, where you can imagine the planned transformation of the place. The Troja Basin with Císařský ostrov, one of the most valuable and largest natural areas of Prague, will gradually be transformed. The Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague has prepared an exhibition dedicated to the river, its landscape and people. In five stops, it introduces the public to the upcoming projects in the Troja Basin, such as flood protection or a new leisure area.

 

Sunday 25 September 2022

11 am–12 pm
Guided tour of the Troja Château garden with Sylva Dobalová

The garden of Troja Château was created simultaneously with the construction of the building and was modeled after the geometrically shaped French gardens. The interpretation will point out the modern reconstruction of the grounds in connection with the continuation of the principles of the axial Baroque garden. Attention will also be paid to the sculptural decoration. In particular, we will focus on the unique spectacular connection between the garden and the main hall via the oval staircase with the Fall of the Giants, which ends in an underground grotto. The motto of the tour will be the question of why the château and the adjacent Prague district are called Troja.

3–4 pm
Guided tour of Čestmír Suška’s works

A guided tour of Čestmír Suška’s works with the artist and the curator Magdalena Juříková within the exhibition Suška – Stones / Škoda – Objects. Michal Škoda’s works, placed in the Troja Château interiors, will be removed for the time of the Art Book Fair, so this is why the guided tour will focus only on the works of Čestmír Suška in the garden of Troja Château.

 

Saturday 24 September 2022

11 am–12 pm
Interactive presentation of the book of Slavic spirits and creation of illustrations (Olena Laň + Viktorija Maščenko)

– workshop for families with children and the public: no advance booking

What did they look like? Did they know how to do magic? Where did they live? What did they have for lunch? Were they dangerous or did they help our great-great-grandmothers? You will learn about this at the interactive presentation of the book, the main theme of which is Slavic spirits. The presentation and the workshop, during which children will be able to create their own illustrations inspired by the book, will be led by children’s book author Olena Laň and artist Viktorija Maščenko, currently working at the DOX Contemporary Art Gallery. Both are from Ukraine.

1–4 pm
Book Production and Stamping Dies (Kristýna Adámková, Studio Bubec)

– workshop for families with children and the public: no advance booking

The workshop will be inspired by the work of the well-known Czech sculptor Čestmir Suška, whose exhibition is currently taking place in Troja Château. Children and other visitors of all ages will be able to try their hand at working with large stamping dies, which are copies of the shapes used in his famous perforated structures made from large metal tanks and other materials. Workshop participants will be able to use this style to create, among other things, designs for decorative and ornamental book covers or bookmarks. The workshop will be led by Kristýna Adámková, the main lecturer of Studio Bubec, a sculptural art studio founded by Čestmír Suška, which also functions as a cultural center, provides artist residencies and organizes exhibitions and art courses and workshops for children, youth and adults.

4–7 pm
Experimental Book Binding (Eva Pejchalová, GHMP)

– workshop for adults and senior citizens: advance booking required at eva.pejchalova@ghmp.cz

The art workshop will be a celebration of the art book. Before the creative work, participants will have the opportunity to independently explore the exhibition space in Troja Château, where the book fair will be held and where they will be introduced to different aspects of book production at individual kiosks and presentations. Afterwards, the participants will retreat to the premises of Prague City Gallery’s Eco-Studio, where an interactive art workshop will take place, focusing on traditional bookbinding technology – paperback bookbinding. We will also experiment with the form of the book as such. We will join the individual components (paperback and book block) using a simple sewing process. We will work with paper using different working methods (cutting, perforating, collage, assemblage, drawing and painting). The basic material will be different types of paper and old books. The outcome of the work will be a creative diary, sketchbook or notebook. The art workshop will be led by the Prague City Gallery’s educator Eva Pejchalová.

 

Sunday 25 September 2022

10 am–3 pm
“Motanka” Dolls – Ukrainian folk art (Yana Pogrebnyk)

– workshop for families with children and the public: no advance booking

The workshop for all ages will focus on Ukrainian folk art – specifically on traditional motanka dolls, which are a symbol of wisdom, among other things. It is a family amulet that also serves as a talisman in the family, a guardian of the family, a symbol of the connection between generations. It is one of the oldest toys and sacred fictional creatures of the Ukrainian nation. Yana Pogrebnyk from Ukraine is not only an artist, but also an art critic, organizer of festivals and cultural and artistic projects in the context of the development of Ukrainian folk traditions and crafts. She also sits on juries of international children’s competitions and exhibitions of decorative and applied arts.

3–4 pm
Interactive presentation of the book of Slavic spirits and creation of illustrations (Olena Laň + Viktorija Maščenko)

– workshop for families with children and the public: no advance booking

What did they look like? Did they know how to do magic? Where did they live? What did they have for lunch? Were they dangerous or did they help our great-great-grandmothers? You will learn about this at the interactive presentation of the book, the main theme of which is Slavic spirits. The presentation and the workshop, during which children will be able to create their own illustrations inspired by the book, will be led by children’s book author Olena Laň and artist Viktorija Maščenko, currently working at the DOX Contemporary Art Gallery. Both are from Ukraine.

4–7 pm
Ex-Libris, Initials, Street Art and Graffiti (Alena Kotliarenko, GHMP)

– workshop for families with children and the public: no advance booking

Visitors will be able to create their own ex-libris (in the form of a stamp) with typical Ukrainian symbols and any other motifs; a Lettristic image using impressions of large wooden letters; an initial – draw a letter of the Czech alphabet or Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabet; design their name in graffiti and street art style (tag, piece) – either Czech or Ukrainian. The art workshop will be led by Alena Kotliarenko, a graduate of architecture of the University of Ukraine and a regular collaborator of Prague City Gallery’s Education Department – an external lecturer of Prague City Gallery’s educational activities for Ukrainian children.

 

Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September 2022

10 am–7 pm
Experimental Herbarium, Book-object, Book Covers, Giant Concertina Book (Lucie Haškovcová, Markéta Slachová Goldová, Veronika Stojanovová, GHMP)

– workshop for families with children and the public: no advance booking

Throughout the book fair, an art workshop will be held in Prague City Gallery’s Eco-Studio not only for families with children, but also for the public. Participants in the workshop can create an experimental book (book-object), i.e., process a selected book in any possible imaginative way as an original artistic artefact (e.g., 3D object, collage, assemblage). For this purpose, discarded and damaged books as well as various natural materials from the garden will be available for workshop participants to incorporate them into their work. Another possibility will be to design book covers (in the form of drawing, collage, photomontage, etc., using photographs, reproductions as well as letter templates, fonts and texts from promotional materials). Workshop participants will also be able to design a fictional plant and coin its name for a collaborative experimental herbarium. The workshop will also include a collective work in progress, namely a giant concertina book, which we will fill with letters, numbers, codes, symbols, words, sentences, text fragments and quotes, using, among other things, cut-out letters of different colors and sizes, prepared by graphic design students from the secondary art school as part of their internship at Prague City Gallery.