Sunday, October 3, 2010

Kveta Pacovska!!

Kveta Pacovska has an exhibit of her artwork— original drawings, prints, posters and her books (dating back to the early '60's) at Les Libraires Associés, in Paris.  A few nights ago, there was a vernissage for it, and I was lucky enough to be able to attend it — and even luckier to have a chance to meet and chat with Kveta herself!







82 years old and still going strong as ever, she has just put out a new book.

Couleurs du Jour (Editions Grandes Personnes, 2010) is an amazing achievement.  A bit over 5 inches square and almost as thick (it's the cube of paper you see in her hand above) , it is a 90-page accordeon-fold book which measures over 10 meters when opened!  It's hard to give a sense of it in photos, but it took up a whole wall of the gallery space. when displayed.  PLUS, it's printed on both sides — and larded with little paper doors and windows and mirrors, so that the pages are interacting with each other.

It's a bit like a kaleidoscope, in a sense — same elements, but different every time you look at it. And (it goes without saying) the images are just brilliant.  I will be showing more soon...


It is a wordless book, but the driving idea of Couleurs du Jour is that colours are chosen according to their sound, and each day of the week has its own sound and colour— Monday is green, Tuesday is blue, and so on.
Of course —according to one's mood, age or point of view — the colours could change.

That is how Kveta saw things when she was 10 years old...



If any of you have the chance to go, the exhibit runs until 30 October at:
Les Libraires Associés
3, rue Pierre l'Ermite
75018 Paris

It's open every day, but by appointment.
Phone:   01.42.57.20.24.

PS. Kveta Pakovska does not have a website but to find out more look here:  Ricochet article (French only) and Links list.


((((((Thanks, Kveta!!!))))))

11 comments:

  1. hello hello
    nice to meet you too!
    j'adore kveta too!
    talk soon
    gini

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Maral!
    So nice to meet you too!!
    Oh!! what a shame!
    I missed this exhibition, I've just arrived to Barcelona!! :/
    it looks to be really interesant, I'll check her work online.

    Have a nice week!!
    eva

    ReplyDelete
  3. HAZEL: Totally lucky... it is my prized possession!

    ROB: I am over the moon :-))

    GINI: Hi! A bientôt!!

    EVA: Hola! If you are coming back to Paris for the Salon de livres (Montreuil), you may be able to see Kveta there, she will be signing and maybe a conference also.

    ReplyDelete
  4. oh! i love kveta!
    and your work is so nice!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, Iratxe! I like your work a whole lot too!!
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is so wonderful to read abut...lovely to visit your blog!
    best wishes,
    Sophie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks, Sophie — great to hear from you again!!
    (PS. More Kveta images soon... stay tuned!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. je suis totalement fan des illustrations de Kveta
    et tout me semble toujours neuf ... et re-découverte ..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Salut Dom,
    les illustrations de Kveta sont plein de fraicheur et de poésie... inimitable!
    Et elle est adorable...

    ReplyDelete

So... what do you think?