Decorations

Dreams of a Wandering Naturalist

 

   The exhibit was organized and curated by Jan Sobota  for the twelfth trienalle of  the Czech Society of Book Workers held at the National Museum in Prague in  February of 2007.   The 29 different hand-made books are all produced and provided by Ladislav R. Haňka and bound by Jan Sobota or other members of the Society.  (There are additional invited international guests -  Jan’s colleagues, apprentices and students - reflecting decades of transatlantic professional activity). 

    Mr. Hanka is an artist of Czech parentage, living in the USA as a self-supporting artist with a solid  30-year exhibition record.  His books are of interest  to the Czech binding community which gave rise to this show, precisely because the art and writing  are  a cross-over between the old world and new world - the mother culture that spawned emigration and the arising hybrid culture that has evolved from that seed.  Hanka’s work is, like himself, a hybrid in those many interesting ways that elude simple pigeonholing.  These books are completely original works which bear little similarity to the tastefully done reprints of classics we so often see in the book-arts trade.  These works would not exist but for Hanka’s efforts -  all done by hand, filled with exceptional and original fine art and  done in very small editions.   

       Hanka’s subject matter is itself a hybrid of the American and European.  His work reflects  an environmentalist ethic reminiscent of Aldo Leopeold and Barry Lopez, touched by Native American spirituality, while also exploring the sense of place  (Genius loci) which we occupy within a landscape and a culture.  The journals of Linnaeus and Darwin come to mind as do the etchings of Rembrandt.  As a book artist and printmaker,  he traces his influences not only to American art and the recent renaissance of hand-made books in the US, but also to several notable Czech artists -  especially Josef Váchal and Ladislav Čepelák.  The influences are notable, as is the subject matter, for reflecting on emigration and separation, on acknowledging one’s origins while  also adapting - an amalgam of the new and old worlds.  He is a naturalist and lover of  that aspect of both America and Europe which is in touch with its origins and land -  interacting daily and using  the mushrooms and fruits of the land.  It’s a hard place to take one’s stand, when all around, the forests are falling and open land disappearing. 

   The 29 different books housed in 106  exquisitely crafted and innovative  bindings which appear in this exhibition  are essentially folios of etchings with modest amounts of accompanying text, done in letterpress or printed from intaglio plates.  They are generally short books  of  20 -30 pages each,  though several are more text-driven and go to 100 pages.

   The bindings are unique and done by leading masters from across Europe -  the greatest number being Czech.  Sizes vary from miniatures to elephant folios, but most are typical book-size.

   Jan Sobota  occupies a dominant place among the binders and a significant portion of the show specifically features Jan’s bindings.  It is the 25-year collaboration between Hanka  and Sobota that has resulted in this exhibition being assembled and which is in large part being celebrated in this exhibit. The later exhibition in Pilsen was planned to coincide with Jan’s 70th birthday -  a chance for Pilsen to appreciate the mastery of its native son at the peak of his creative powers and mastery.   It was here that Jan grew up and studied under master binder Karel Šilinger and was also awarded the lifetime achievement award dedicated to Karel Šilinger in October, 2009.  

Hosting the Show

    For those interested in hosting the show in Europe, there is no rental fee, but  we do expect you to cover all costs.  In the US we will need to charge a modest rental fee in order to distribute the costs of importation and customs across the participating venues.

   The didactic materials and panels with original etchings and text by Ladislav Haňka will be included with the traveling exhibition.  You can also expect substantial cooperation in adapting the show to your own needs.

Purchasing the Collection

   For those interested in acquiring the works displayed, the show will eventually be available - but only as a complete body of work,  We  will not break the  collection up to sell the components piecemeal.   Please inquire. 

Contacts:

Ladislav Hanka

1005 Oakland Dr

Kallamazoo MI

USA     49008

tel. 011-269-388-5631

[email protected]

Jan Sobota

J&J Sobotas' Book Art Studio
Sklenarska 5/3
357 33 Loket
Czech Republic
tel: +420 352 685 130

E-mail: [email protected] 

 [email protected]

County Survey: pull-off case by Jan Sobota

Scripta naturae - Binding by Jan Sobota

County Survey: binding by Jan Sobota

County Survey: Binding by Jan Sobota

Čertův Kámen:  Binding and housing by Jan Sobota

(This is an example of an unusual binding and housing by Jan Sobota, but is on loan from the Museum of Book Binding in Loket and not available for travel)

County Survey - opened to a non-text page

Binding by Jan Sobota

Great Lakes fishes; Binding by Jan Sobota

Scriptum Arborum , etching - Ladislav Hanka