The West Bohemian Gallery in Pilsen is exhibiting the work of graphic artist and typographer Jan Solpera

Plzeň – The exhibition of works by the prominent Czech graphic artist and typographer Jan Solpera has been prepared at the exhibition hall "13" by the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň. Solpera's works include not only designs for custom fonts, book graphics, and theater and exhibition posters but also the creation of logotypes; he is also the author of the typeface for Czech banknotes. The exhibition Jan Solpera Rounded will last until October 4, gallery spokeswoman Kateřina Štulc Modrá told ČTK today.

With Solpera’s works, the gallery continues its long-term dramaturgy dedicated to graphic design. After the success of previous projects, it has decided to systematically and long-term develop this type of exhibitions, thus partly filling the gap that arose after the cancellation of the international exhibition Biennale of Graphic Design Brno. The curators of Solpera's exhibition are graphic designers Zuzana Burgrová and Robert V. Novák, who prepared an award-winning exhibition for the gallery in 2024 featuring another leading Czech graphic artist Rostislav Vaněk titled Extended.

According to Novák, the dramaturgy of the exhibition does not emphasize chronological presentation of Solpera's work or exhaustive complexity, but rather focuses on conceptual, formal, meaningful, and sometimes entirely random connections. The fact that they are not professional curators is seen by Burgrová and Novák as an advantage, allowing them to view the exhibited works outside established schemas and appreciate the details that are professionally close to them.

The exhibition in Plzeň allowed significant space for the author himself. The accompanying texts are based on Solpera's new book Typo života běh = Solpera, in which the author shares personal memories and experiences from his own work, from the field, and from many years of pedagogical activity. "The exhibition also includes film animations that reveal Solpera’s approach to creating title text compositions, font designs, and physical exhibits such as theater posters and books," Burgrová stated.

The title of the exhibition is derived from typographic terminology. The term "rounded" refers not only to the font but also to Solpera’s approach to shape in general – to his characteristic softness and sensitive shaping of visual form, added the curators.

Eighty-six-year-old Solpera is, according to gallery director Roman Musil, a true authority in typography. This is evidenced by his classification of typographic fonts, which has been accepted as a standard in the field. His work also includes graphics in architecture and stamp design. He is the author of several corporate brands and logotypes, for example, for the Czech National Bank and the Academy of Sciences. He collaborated for many years with the Theater Na Zábradlí and in the 70s and 80s with the publishing house Odeon. Solpera also engages with type as a theorist.