Otto Placht: El Libro Mágico

This is by no means a traditional monograph on the artist, but rather a unique kaleidoscopic exploration of Placht's multi-layered work and adventurous life. At the same time, the book is a unique tribute to ayahuasca – one of the "foods of the gods" that has been associated with the spiritual practices of the Indian tribes of the Amazon rainforest for centuries and is still used by local shamans for healing, divination, and magic. It is precisely the world of ayahuasca visions, together with the changing ornamentation of the Shipibo tribe, that has been feeding the painter's imagination for more than twenty years and accompanying him on his journeys beyond the "gates of perception." The book tells not only through images, but also through the testimonies of friends and experts on Plachta's work, about these journeys, the power of human creativity, Plachta's belief in the invincible and constantly renewing power of nature, and, of course, his works, which were created as a testimony to his personal search.
In addition to the painter's own memoirs, the book includes texts by Václav Dejčmar, co-owner of the DOX Center for Contemporary Art; April Dolkar, American artist and curator; Otto Flores Sáenz, member of the academic community at UNIA University in Pucallpa, Peru; translator and poet Gato, Jan Pravda's friend from his youth, art historian Vanda Skálová, and cultural anthropologist Mnislav Zelený – Atapana. The book contains texts in Czech, Spanish, and English.