Pohadky

by Marek Colek and Pat Shewchuk

As if the Grimm fairy tales were given life beyond the limitations of their text, this book is an illustrated marvel. Translated as "Folk tales" or "storybook", Pohadky provides a tapestry of interwoven fables and morose, allegorical iconography, bringing a harsh light to the greed, loss and submission that marks the origins of so many cultural folk tales and legends. Heavily influenced by their respective cultural backgrounds - Colek fascinated with the artistic and narrative elements in the focklore of the Czech Republic, and Shewchuk immersed in the investigation of the symbols and pictography of pre-Christian Ukrainian decorative folk arts - the artists have created a work that balances delicate, richly detailed characters and a sharp but muted visual style and in the process have created a book that exists as so much more than mere fairy tales.