130 pages Edited by Fabio Sgroi Photograph(s) by Fabio Sgroi 30 x 21 cm Language: English, Italian Paperback Publisher: Union Editions Edition of 150 copies 2025
In the fragile space between history and change, one photographer wandered into Prague with nothing but a camera, a backpack, and a desire to see things as they were—unfiltered, unplanned, alive. Praha 14.09.1991 is a visual time capsule, capturing the pulse of a city in transition during a single, unforgettable day in September.
"In September of ’91, I decided to continue exploring Europe. The stops were Budapest, then Vienna, and Prague from the 4th to the 18th. I escaped the second one after just a few days; it wasn’t the type of city I was looking for—too perfect. Instead, both Budapest and Prague had a more interesting charm.
As soon as I arrived in Prague, I took the subway to the center. At the exit, I found a guy selling porn magazines from a stand. I decided to ask him where I could sleep; he pointed me to a cheap place where university students stayed. Most of the students were on vacation. During that month, it was like a huge empty barracks—many small rectangular rooms, a tiny window, a bed, a nightstand, and a radio with a single frequency that played classical music.
I paid two thousand lire a day, which was even less in koruna. I began to explore the city and saw some posters: a pro-immigrant, anti-Nazi, and anti-vivisection demonstration was going to take place. It was held on a small island near one of the bridges. There was music. I spent the entire day taking photographs". Fabio Sgroi
This book is the product of that day—an evocative sequence of black-and-white photographs filled with fleeting expressions, quiet corners, and spontaneous moments of protest and poetry. It's a portrait of early '90s Prague not as a postcard, but as a lived experience: gritty, graceful, and real.
For lovers of analog photography, visual storytelling, and the serendipity of travel, Praha 14.09.1991 is both a journey and a document—an intimate record of time spent looking, listening, and witnessing.
