Under curator William Messer, the photography shows at Iris BookCafe and Gallery have been consistently valuable and thoughtful, providing yet another reason — besides the books, records and refreshments — for lingering at one of Main Street's most appealing destinations. The latest — up now through March 16 — continues that standard. It features the work of Czech photographer Hana Jakrlová, who studied architecture in Prague and then photography at New York's International Center of Photography. Her show at Iris, Meantime, consists of black-and-white street images shot during her participation in the European City of Culture 2000 project, photographing nine cities throughout the continent (and also Malta and the Isle of Skye) for images included in her book In the Meantime: Europe. Jakrlova has more recently explored topics about the roles/struggles of women in her work, such as Buenos Aires - Love Hotels and Big Sister, about a Prague "internet brothel." Currently she is working on a project about single women in Burma. She has become one of the Czech Republic's most important photographers and resides both in Prague and New York. And be sure to mark your calendars for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15 — she will give an artist talk at Iris.
