2024

The book Kafkárna / House and Garden offers a multilayered perspective on Bohumil Kafka’s historic sculpture studio and its adjoining, almost magical garden. It traces the history and transformation of the site through the lenses of architecture, urbanism, artistic practice, and everyday life, while also reflecting on its current role as the home of the UMPRUM Centre for Art and Ecology.

Alongside scholarly and artistic texts, the publication features conversations with people whose lives and practices are closely connected to Kafkárna – from artists, theorists, and gardeners to neighbours and members of the local community. Through these diverse perspectives, the book explores themes of ecology, degrowth, ecofeminism, inclusion, care, and community building, while considering how an art institution can function as an open space for encounters, knowledge sharing, and the search for alternative ways of living together.

The scholarly and artistic texts, as well as visual essays, were contributed by authors and artists with whom Kafkárna has developed long-term collaborations and whose work forms part of a broader mosaic of approaches, inspirations, and possible responses to contemporary social and environmental challenges.

The publication was edited by Amálie Bulandrová and Kateřina Vídenová, designed by Žofia Fodorová and Magdalena Konečná, and illustrated by Jantra Šímová. The book won 1st Prize in the Professional Literature category of the Most Beautiful Czech Books of the Year 2024 competition and also received an award in the Czech National Award for Student Design. It was published by UMPRUM Publishing with financial support from the EEA and Norway Grants.

PDF to read or download: House and Garden