Beyond Paper Plane

Beyond Paper Plane

The Beyond Paper Plane travelling exhibition project presents contemporary Czech illustrators and artists with a particular focus on children’s books.

The curatorial selection features books that combine a three-dimensional object with an independent work of art. This allows the books to offer a much greater sense of space and haptics and promotes the authenticity of the material. Contemporary children’s books have the potential for further interactive and educational use, whether it is the analogue manual finishing of the illustrations or their transfer into virtual reality, allowing children to immerse themselves in the game. The illustrations experiment with unusual materials, such as sheet metal, textiles, optical foils, photographs or found objects, pushing the boundaries of the conventional book format and the traditionally associated media such as watercolour, drawing, printmaking or painting.

The exhibition is divided into 8 thematic sections (Sculpting the Illustration, Soft and Tactile, Paper Collage, Trompe l’oeil, Leporellos With a Twist, Architectural Book, Interactive Reading Equals Playing, Anime Comes to Life) and in addition to the books, it includes related art objects, toys, archival book prototypes, short animated movies and a computer game for children.

beyond_paper_plane_en_logo.jpg Neviditelná Mumo © Lukáš Opekar ALFABETA © Patrik Antczak Model z knihy Město pro každého © Jiří Franta, David Böhm Táta a princezna Rozárka © Marie Urbánková Columbus © Vojtěch Kubašta

Exhibition Design

The exhibition installation by the studio OKOLO refers to the phenomenon of the fixed and uniform banana boxes. The design principle of the cardboard boxes also supports the idea of the most famous export product of the Czechoslovak publishing house Artia – pop-up books. It was the three-dimensional and often moving children’s fairy tale books constructed by the pioneers of the field Rudolf Lukeš (1923–1976) and Vojtěch Kubašta (1914–1992) that inspired us to explore the unconventional Czech illustration for children of the past few decades that we present in several thematically divided categories.

Presentation abroad

2026

  • Taiwan / TIBE

  • Egypt / El Falaki Gallery, Cairo (Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children)

2025

  • France / Czech Centre Paris

  • Egypt / Bibliothek Egypt, Cairo

  • Ukraine / Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum Complex, Kyiv

  • Taiwan / National Museum of Taiwan Literature, Tainan

  • Romania / National Theatre, Bucharest

  • Ukraine / Library of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Kyiv

  • Egypt / Egypt Public Library, Ismailia

  • Bulgaria / Czech Centre Sofia

2024

  • Japan / Czech Centre Tokyo

  • South Korea / Hyundai Museum of Kids' Books and Art, Seongnam

  • Czech Republic / Designblok

  • Japan / Wakita Museum of Art, Karuizawa

  • France / Czech Centre Paris

In Negotiation

  • Germany

  • Israel

  • Vietnam

  • USA

Publishing Houses

Ababu, Albatros, Arbor Vitae, Baobab, Běžíliška, Bylonebylo, Česká televize, Dybbuk, Labyrint, Lux, Mazzel, Meander, Paseka, Pop-Pap, Práh, Verzone, RUKAMA, Bionaut

Illustrators

Patrik Antczak, David Böhm & Jiří Franta, Radka Dráčková, Lucie Dvořáková, Nikola Hoření, Vendula Chalánková, Jana Jandáčková, Kateřina Karhánková, Lenka Kohoutová, Marcela Konárková, Eva Koťátková, Martina Kurková Nožičková, Michaela Kukovičová, Vojtěch Kubašta, Nikola Logosová, Lucie Lomová, Rudolf Lukeš, Jarmila Marešová, Ester Nemjó, Petr Nikl, Monika Novotná, Daniela Olejníková, Lukáš Opekar, Jitka Petrová, Jaromír Plachý, Veronika Podzimková, Filip Pošívač, Magdalena Rutová, František Skála, Jiří Stach, Karolína Stryková, Jan Švankmajer, Andrea Tachezy, Marie Urbánková, Dagmar Urbánková, Eva Volfová, Tereza Vostradovská