Coffee at Aněžka and The Second Fire exhibition - June 2026

Sourdough, sanctity, and Siberia

Date: 19. 5. 2026 - 16. 8. 2026
Place: GHMP House of photography, Prague
Our rating: ★★ (2/3) — VERY GOOD

Due to the high summer temperatures, which reached almost 40 degrees Celsius, we decided to visit an exhibition instead of going on our usual monthly photography walk. But first, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Kavárna Anežka, surrounded by the 13th-century stone walls of the St. Agnes Convent and lush greenery. It felt like finding a hidden sanctuary in the heart of the Old Town.

From there, we headed straight to Dům fotografie for The Second Fire: Love Letter to Baikal. A photography exhibition offering a raw and poetic perspective on the changing Lake Baikal ecosystem.

The title comes from an ancient Buryat legend that says Lake Baikal was formed when the locals extinguished a raging flame by crying out, ‘Bai gal!’ (“Fire, stop!”). The ‘second fire’ of today is not a literal flame, but climate change, rising water temperatures and ecological shifts that threaten the oldest and deepest lake on Earth.

Standing in front of images of Baikal’s cold, clear water felt almost refreshing after the heat outside, but it was a strange kind of relief. This heatwave, driven by El Niño, was hitting Prague the same way rising temperatures and pollution were reshaping Baikal on the other side of the world.

After a year living alongside local communities in eastern Siberia, the duo came back with a body of work that feels personal and close-up, not like a typical documentary. Moving through the gallery, you feel awe at the sheer vastness of the lake, along with a gentle ache for its fragility.

A few elements of the exhibition stood out:

• Experimental visuals: Rather than standard landscape photographs, the series features textured macro shots, portraits of local residents and multi-channel video installations capturing everything from cracking winter ice to summer algae blooms.

• Data turned into sound: One of the most impressive aspects of the exhibition is Voices of the Amphipods, a soundscape that translates scientific data about microscopic lake creatures into music. Hearing temperature changes converted into audio creates an eerie, immersive layer as you view the prints.

• The human connection: alongside vast environmental vistas are stories of the people who live along Baikal’s shores, showing how their daily lives, spiritual beliefs and futures are directly tied to the health of the water.

You leave the gallery looking at the world a bit more intentionally, reminded of how connected we are to these remote corners of the planet.

Whether you’re a long-time local looking for a quiet reset or a traveler eager to see a side of Prague beyond the usual tourist traps, pairing a slow morning at St. Agnes Convent with an immersive exhibit at GHMP is about as good as it gets. It’s an easy, low-stress half-day that perfectly balances delicious food, peaceful architecture, and art that lingers in your head long after you’ve left. Grab a seat in the courtyard, order that extra espresso, and let the city’s quieter, more thoughtful side take you by surprise.

Reference: The Second Fire: Love Letter to Baikal