PORTRAITS

Agnes 12

2024, 50 x 65 cm

Hand-embroidered textile appliqué. 

Silk and cotton. Made of up-cycled and recovered materials.

BOOK

Zanzibar jak vyšitý

Labyrint Publishing, Prague, 2015

Zanzibar. An island with a magical name, where the beach strips bare, rooftops are woven, and laundry plays the blues with the wind. Here, animals often get the urge to travel, and people never hold back their smiles.

This book, for children and parents alike, is crafted partly in verse and partly in prose, but mostly with needle, thread, and bits of old fabric, giving shape and vibrant colors to even the most unbelievable tales. The appliqué illustrations, alongside twelve rhymed and five prose stories, playfully and humorously guide little travelers through the lives of the island’s people and animals in the sleepy village of Jambiani, where even the most ordinary things are truly unheard of.
A book for curious eyes and ears.

Photo (c) Gabriel Urbánek

SHOWS

Beyond Paper Plane

Hong Kong (2025)

Taiwan (2025) 

Japan / Czech Centre Tokyo (Jan 24–March 6, 2024)

South Korea / Hyundai Museum of Kids' Books and Art, Seongnam (June 27–Sept 30, 2024)

Czechia / Designblok, Prague (Oct 2–6, 2024)

Japan / Wakita Museum of Art, Karuizawa (Oct 19–Nov 30, 2024)

France / Czech Centre Paris (Dec 17–Feb 15, 2025)

The traveling collective exhibition project presents 39 contemporary Czech illustrators and artists with a particular focus on children’s books that combine a three-dimensional object with an independent work of art. The illustrations experiment with unusual materials, such as sheet metal, textiles, optical foils, photographs or found objects, pushing the boundaries of the conventional book format and the traditionally associated media such as watercolour, drawing, printmaking or painting.

Curator: Emma Hanzlíková


The Poetry Weaving Mill

Folk Holidays Festival, Czech Republic, Náměšť nad Oslavou (July 24– 30, 2022)

Curators: Matej Forman, Lukas Urbanek, Radek Maly

Artists: Petr Sis, Radek Maly and Pavel Cech, Milada Rezkova and Lukas Urbanek, Radka Drackova, poetry by Suzanne Renaud, Bohuslav Reynek and Jana Skacel.


Zanzibar jak vyšitý

Solo exhibition of hand-sewn illustrations. Czech Republic, Havirov, gallery Centrum
(Dec 5–30, 2015)

Zanzibar jak vyšitý

Book launch and solo exhibition of hand-sewn illustrations. Czech Republic, Prague, Café Lajka (Nov 4–Dec 3, 2015)


All of Czechia Reads to Kids

Ladna Celadna summer fest, Czech Republic, Celadna (July 29–30, 2016)

Author's reading and creative workshop: textile collage making


Festival Mini

Czech Republic, Prague, Vila Pellé (April 6–10, 2016)

Creative workshop: making upcycled textile toys

More projectS

CiD Circular Design Innovation Alliance LINK 

Germany, Italy, Spain (2024–2026)

Member of an external board of experts. Multi-year project co-funded by the European Union

RESONATE, Thinking Sound and Space

Portugal, Lisbon, MAAT Museum (Feb 12, 2018) 

Creative direction of an international event produced by reSITE exploring sound as the 4th dimension of architecture

reSITE REGENERATE 

Czech Republic, Prague, Forum Karlin
(Sept 19–21, 2019) Creative direction and communications of an international conference and festival exploring resilient and sustainable cities

Run with Rojkind

Czech Republic, Prague (June 16, 2018)

Concept and idea, architect-led city run with a focus on architecture and public space

Run with reSITE

Czech Republic, Prague
(June 1st, 2020, June 22, 2019)

Concept and idea, architect-led community city run with a focus on architecture and public space

reSITE ACCOMMODATE

Czech Republic, Prague, Forum Karlin
(June 14–15, 2018) Creative direction and communications of an international conference and festival exploring resilient and sustainable cities 


reSITE In/visible City

Czech Republic, Prague, Forum Karlin
(Sept 22–23, 2017) Creative direction and communications of an international conference and festival exploring resilient and sustainable cities

Cuchifritos Gallery

New York (2013). Volunteer in the gallery and project space operated by Artists Alliance based in Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York

About

Radka is a Prague-based textile artist and book author, and professionally engages in communication and creative direction for festivals, conferences, and brands in both physical and digital environments. She studied Czech and French language studies at Charles University in Prague and Université Paris 8 in France after completing a bilingual French-Czech lycée. She has traveled widely, including to less developed regions, and participated in a volunteer mission with the charity organization Pro-Contact in Guinea, West Africa. A trip to East Africa, combined with her passion for working with textiles, inspired her to write a children's book about Zanzibar, accompanied by uncycled hand-sewn illustrations, which now travel the world as part of group exhibitions.

She has two daughters. She has worked in cultural diplomacy and film distribution and has long been involved in sustainable urban development with the reSITE organization, temporary revitalization projects with Manifesto Market as well as promoting quality film culture in the digital realm. She speaks and writes fluent Czech, English, French, and Spanish.

iliteratura | March 10, 2016

"An exceptional authorial project deserves respect, just like the bold Raketa edition by Labyrint publishing house, which warmly embraced the soft fabric illustrations and unconventional verses evoking island serenity."

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MEDIA

Best books for children 2015

Catalogue


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Czech television Oct 19, 2015

Watch from 1:05:12


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Czech Radio
Nov 13, 2015

New children’s book Zanzibar jak vyšitý one of most charming publications of 2015


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