“University Zodiac” | Exhibition opening of Nikodem Pręgowski.

The exhibition of Nikodem Pręgowski’s graphics under the title “University Zodiac” is a journey through the seemingly well-trodden celestial paths and stories about the constellations of stars, which some believe are supposed to influence our disposition and fate. However, you won’t find the familiar figures from popular horoscopes here, as the astrological vision is only a supplement to a whole new insight into human nature.

The exhibition will feature 13 original illustrations from the book “University Zodiac. How communing with the academy spasmed our characters” by Monika Kwiecinska-Zdrenka and Marcin T. Zdrenka. The series is a peculiar gallery of brand-new zodiac figures, which were used to portray people of science in a distorting mirror – with a wink. Like the authors of the text, who refer to the rich tradition of defining and describing human characters, Nikodem Pręgowski in his miniatures draws fully on the iconography associated with ancient astronomical engravings, sky maps or astrological studies, along with their graphic nuances. Nikodem’s illustrations, saturated with details, not only function as didascalia of the text, but complement it – in each of them you will find a lot of tasty trifles and ambiguous interpretative clues.

Nikodem Pręgowski – graphic designer, illustrator and poster maker. He teaches graphic design, calligraphy and typography at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Founder of the publishing house “For example.” Winner of dozens of awards at international festivals and poster reviews. His works have been shown, among others: in Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Iran, Germany, Norway, Peru, Slovakia, Turkey, the USA.

The exhibition is organized on the occasion of Library Week.

During the event there is an opportunity to purchase the book “University Zodiac. How communing with the academy spasmed our characters”.

The event is co-organized by “For Example” Publishing House and Kafka and Company Bookstore.