Jaromír 99: The Castle

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Franz Kafka's The Castle through an open-air exhibition showcasing the expressive black & white prints of renowned Czech illustrator and musician, Jaromír 99 created for the David Zane Mairowitz’s comics adaptation. The exhibition curated by Lukáš Horký offers a non-linear exploration of Kafka's enigmatic narrative. Each image serves as a visual portal into Kafka's text, inviting viewers to interpret and engage with its suggestive and elusive nature. From the solitary figure of K. with his pilgrim’s stick to the ethereal presence of the chateau looming in the clouds, the exhibition captures the essence of Kafka's surreal universe.

About Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, and his name is a symbol of Prague's German-language literature, which artistically reflects the unique cultural and social atmosphere of centuries of coexistence among Czechs, Germans, and Jews in the Central European region. Kafka's work resonates globally with its timelessness. His books mirror not only the uncertainty and variability of his time but, above all, his inner conflict in existence, which gave his work a very specific character.

Kafka's perception of societal changes at the turn of the twentieth century and his sensitivity as a person and writer make his creations timeless. We constantly return to his texts, which warn us against falling into lethargy and urge us not to passively accept the absurdities of the era. However, there is much more to be found in his work, and it often depends on the reader how they interpret and understand the text.

Franz Kafka wrote a number of short stories and three novels—America, The Trial, and The Castle, which remains unfinished. The year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of his death, when he died at the age of just 41.

About Jaromír 99
Jaromír 99, whose real name is Jaromír Švejdík, was born in 1963 in Czechoslovakia and moves between the worlds of comics and music. He is a composer, singer, guitarist, the frontman of the Kafka Band, and an artist. The series of prints created by Jaromír 99 in 2013 for a comic adaptation of the novel „The Castle“ are expressive black and white prints, first exhibited in 2020 as part of the Franz Kafka Festival in Frýdlantsko. The exhibition, located in the castle brewery, metaphorically illustrated the futile journey of the land surveyor K. to the castle, which stands on a hill within sight of the installation location.

Outdoor exhibition on the fence of the Czech Embassy
26 - 30 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY
Free access 24/7