Cucumbers, Fishes, Worms, and Pine Buds

Exhibition related to Zuzana Bramborová’s book A giliszta kérdez & the latest micro-books by other members of the Prague XAO collective (Jakub Plachý, Klára Zahrádková, Alžběta Zemanová).

You might have already met our exhibition’s star, the worm, as it is the protagonist of Zuzana Bramborová’s charmingly humorous and in many ways enlightening book. This educational volume, introducing the basics of gardening and appealing to all ages, was published in Hungarian in 2023 under the title A giliszta kérdez by Csirimojó with a translation by Peťovská Flóra.

Since the translation is based on the Czech edition published by the XAO micro-publisher (Žížala pokládá otázky, 2021, www.xaoxax.cz), which also operates as a bookstore and gallery our exhibition also features the latest works from the other members of the collective. You can discover Alžběta Zemanová’s mini-story set in the vegetable garden about Father Cucumber and his son, Cucu; a seemingly unbelievable yet true-event-based mini-comic by the author duo Jakub Plachý (creator of A nagy pisikönyv and Klára Zahrádková titled ‘It is January, I Walk the Fish’; and the long-awaited continuation of Klára Zahrádková’s non-bloody violent recipes, this time focusing on pine bud syrup.

Before the opening, there will be two different workshops led by the exhibiting artists from 13:00 to 15:00 (details in the events below, registration at ahoj@csirimojo.hu), and the evening program will include a worm christening and a micro-fair!

Related Program:

May 4, 2024, Saturday 13:00-15:00 Worms and other things from the garden – Pocketstory Workshop with Zuzana Bramborová and Alžběta Zemanová: https://www.facebook.com/events/486159687069697

May 4, 2024, Saturday 15:00-17:00 Pocket comic workshop with Jakub Plachý and Tereza Šiklová: https://www.facebook.com/events/1119975729244372

Opening & Micromarket: May 4, 2024, Saturday at 18:00

The exhibition can be viewed until May 24, 2024, during the opening hours of the ISBN book+gallery, Tue-Fri 12:00-18:00, Sat 14:00-18:00: https://www.facebook.com/events/1201135237525064/1201135267525061

The Micromarket of XAO Mini-Books

We bring you the smallest volumes ever published in the Czech Republic. They include picture mini-stories without words, mini-comics based on real events, the smallest illustrated literature, mini-graphics, special travel books, illustrated recipes, and other delicacies.

The Brief History of how A giliszta kérdez was born

Zuzana Bramborová’s worm first emerged from the ground in 2019 as a diploma project, and the illustrations created for it helped the author successfully complete her studies at the Prague Academy of Arts, Crafts, and Design (Umprum), in the illustration and graphics department. The volume was entirely Zuzana’s work (text, illustration, graphic design). Initially printed in an edition of 150 copies at the Umprum workshop in 2021 using three direct offset colors, it was later published as a real book with an ISBN number by the XAO micro-publisher. Last year (2023), thanks to the far-reaching enthusiasts of garden culture, the book was also published abroad. Yes, you guessed right, we’re talking about Peťovská Flóra’s Hungarian translation. Both the worm and Zuzana deserve this recognition, as both work hard (one in the field, the other in the field of illustration). If you haven’t yet, read the book, which we at the XAO bookstore recommend as a mandatory read for customers who always return for more copies. Long live beautiful books and crumbly soil!