Beyond Paper Plane

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

The curatorial selection explores books that blur the line between three-dimensional objects and works of art. Experimenting with metal, textiles, optical films, photography and found objects, these illustrations push the boundaries of traditional book formats and techniques.

The exhibition brings together eight thematic sections: Sculpting the Illustration, Soft and Tactile, Paper Collage, Trompe l’oeil, Leporellos with a Twist, Architectural Book, Interactive Reading Equals Playing, and Anime Comes to Life. Alongside books, it features art objects, toys, archival book prototypes, short animated films and a computer game for children.

Exhibition Design

Designed by studio OKOLO, the exhibition draws on sturdy, standardised banana boxes. Their cardboard construction echoes the celebrated pop-up books of the Czechoslovak publishing house Artia. The pioneering three-dimensional children’s books of Rudolf Lukeš (1923–1976) and Vojtěch Kubašta (1914–1992) inspired this exploration of Czech children’s book illustration.

Presentation Abroad

2026

• Germany / Museum Brandhorst / Munich Creative Business Week

• Taiwan / Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) / National Library of Public Information

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

• Taiwan / Taiwan International Children & Youth Carnival, Kaohsiung (Future Generation Book Fair - pop-up)

• Taiwan / Kaohsiung Main Public Library, Kaohsiung

• Germany / Struwwelpeter Museum, Frankfurt am Main

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, Prague

• Japan / Wakita Museum of Art, Karuizawa

• France / Czech Centre Paris

Publishing Houses

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

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, Lenka Koreňovská, 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, Marcela Valentová, Eva Volfová, Tereza Vostradovská

• Curator: Emma Hanzlíková

• Exhibition design: OKOLO

• Contacts: Anna Hrabáčková, hrabackova@czechcentres.cz / Anastasiia Artemyak, artemyak@czechcentres.cz