Pop Up: Beyond Paper Plane

So much more than flat paper: extraordinary books from Czechia

Illustrated books as combinations of three-dimensional objects and standalone works of art: a journey through the contemporary Czech children’s book scene, from leporellos and pop-up books to paper collages and trompe-l’œil.

Many Czech illustrators and artists experiment freely with materials that are unusual for books, such as sheet metal, textiles, photographs, and found objects. Their creations push the boundaries of the format.

The exhibition in the pop-up shop displays playful works like these in banana boxes. Anyone who has ever moved house with large numbers of books will know and appreciate this practical and sustainable storage option, which is readily available free of charge in supermarkets. In addition, the boxes' design principle is reminiscent of pop-up fairy-tale books by Rudolf Lukeš (1923–1976) and Vojtěch Kubašta (1914–1992), the most famous export of Czechoslovak publishing house Artia.

The shop will be reimagined with temporary pop-up events and a variety of formats. A diverse program invites you to rediscover the foyer.