Pardubice Gallery will exhibit author books and the work of architect Řepa

Pardubice – The East Bohemian Gallery in Pardubice will open two exhibitions on Saturday at the House U Jonáše. The first is dedicated to the contemporary form of the author’s book, and the second to the Pardubice native, architect Miroslav Řepa. Both will run until March 7, 2021. The monumentally protected House U Jonáše is almost repaired after three years of water damage.

The exhibition titled Atlas of New Constellations will introduce visitors to publications created as works of art, mostly by a single author or a group. The books stand out from typical production with their unconventional approach and high quality of overall processing. They experiment with various bookbinding styles, do not adhere to standard formats, and emphasize typography, illustration, paper selection, and printing. Commonly, handmade papers or original fonts are used. The exhibition will showcase publications from small publishers like Xaoxax, Bylo nebylo, Adolescent, and Upupæpop, along with books published and distributed by the authors themselves.

To celebrate the 90th birthday of architect Miroslav Řepa, the gallery has prepared an exhibition of his lifelong work. The son of the well-known architect Karel Řepa has significantly contributed to the development of Pardubice's architecture. Among his most famous buildings in the city are the interiors of the Interhotel Labe, the Czech State Savings Bank building on Palackého Street, the former spa Na Olšinkách, and the reconstruction of the East Bohemian Theatre. He is also the author of the Czechoslovak pavilion at the World Expo in Montreal in 1967. He applied his experiences from world exhibitions in 1970 in Osaka, where he designed the Laterna Magika theater, and in 1992 in Seville, where he served as the technical director. In the 1990s, he focused on curating exhibitions at Prague Castle, such as the exhibition Ten Centuries of Architecture, where he was invited as the chief curator by President Václav Havel, as well as the World Expo of Jožef Plečnik.

The House U Jonáše, with its Gothic foundations, Renaissance elements, and Baroque façade, suffered damage during Christmas 2017. The third phase of repairs and drying of the thick walls finished at the end of November.