Portraits from the Biggest Flea Market in Prague (and Maybe Europe)

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Portraits from the Biggest Flea Market in Prague (and Maybe Europe)

Léo Malek is more interested in capturing the faces of the market's vendors than the secondhand sex toys and stray hubcaps for sale.

"The largest flea market in the Czech Republic and the whole of Europe." "An area exceeding more than 12 acres." "Everything you'd ever want to sell or buy under one roof."

These are the kind of words you'll hear touted at Kolbenova flea market in Prague, where you can buy everything from a manky pair of flippers to a disused hubcap. Our photographer Léo Malek is a regular visitor, but instead of shooting the goods—and making another unnecessary contribution to the great canon of photos of vintage shit—he aimed his camera at the beautiful people who sell stuff there instead.

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Léo had these words for any potential visitors:

"Kolbenova is easily reachable by metro, just 25 minutes away from the tourist center in the northwest of Prague. There, every Saturday and Sunday morning you can find 'the biggest flea market in Europe,' or at least according to its website. The entrance to this paradise will cost you only 20 Czech crowns. Then it's simple. You you can walk around in the dust or mud (depending on the weather) to find any kind of treasure—from vacuum cleaners to expired food—passing by vintage clothing and accessories, porn DVDs and magazines, secondhand (and barely used!) sex toys, computers, phones and bicycles, and don't forget self defense weapons like crossbows, tasers, and guns. All you have to do for a good price is bargain with these lovely people."