Pavel Pospěch – Osamělí hrdinové

#1 min Barbora Vanická Čápová

16. 8. 2026

Pavel Pospěch, Osamělí hrdinové: Jak kultura autonomie rozleptává společnost, Praha: HOST, 2026
Pavel Pospěch, Osamělí hrdinové: Jak kultura autonomie rozleptává společnost, Praha: HOST, 2026
#50 AuthenticityReviewSociety

Why do we automatically choose uncertain and complicated solutions simply to convince ourselves we are following our own path? How easily can the influences of popular culture make us believe that the most ostentatious displays of consumerism express our deepest, most authentic selves? And how does this construct of instant prosperity directly shape the inhumane conditions under which goods are produced on the other side of the planet?

In the book Osamělí hrdinové (Lonely Heroes), sociologist Pavel Pospěch identifies the mechanisms behind our everyday decision-making, revealing that they may not be as healthy or as natural as they first appear. From the unattainable ambitions of a small crop-dusting airplane to a snail determined to outrun racing cars, he moves on to far more unsettling questions about the deeply ingrained features of our society: features that burden us as individuals while also placing strain on global infrastructures. It is liberating to realize that we do not have to spend our lives searching for our true selves; we can simply allow ourselves to be who we are.

Text | Barbora Vanická Čápová

#50 AuthenticityReviewSocietyConsumerism Psychology Authenticity

Barbora Vanická Čápová

is involved in the dramaturgy and strategic planning of the organization and is responsible for content production for Fotograf Zone and the print Fotograf magazine. She has long been engaged in journalism and artistic research focused on the production and presentation of visual content in hybrid interfaces.

#50 Authenticity

Intimate and Raw – Afterglow Revisits the Work of Adam Holý

#4 min Editorial

Intimate and Raw – Afterglow Revisits the Work of Adam Holý

Fotograf zone ExhibitionOpening

On Thursday, 3 September, Fotograf Zone will open Afterglow, an exhibition dedicated to the remarkable photographic practice of Adam Holý. Staged ten years after the artist’s death, the exhibition reflects on his lasting impact on Czech photography while repositioning his work within a contemporary context. Bringing together intimate portraits, spontaneous snapshots taken from a moving car, and lesser-known landscape montages, the exhibition offers a compelling encounter with a complex body of work whose images continue to surprise, unsettle, and fascinate.

Editor’s Picks by Barbora Vanická Čápová

#3 min Barbora Vanická Čápová

Editor’s Picks by Barbora Vanická Čápová

Fotograf zone Editorial picsCurating

Selecting only five articles from such a wealth of outstanding content required considerable effort. That is why I decided to create a thematic selection focused on the motif of the island as a parallel in broader ideas about our society: places between acceptance and exclusion. Islands evoke a sense of unexplored territory, a place that could belong to us. But there is a catch: they operate under their own rules. What from the mainland appears different or out of place may, here, find space to exist outside the usual order.