Polish artists at the Angoulême International Comics Festival

Polish artists at the Angoulême International Comics Festival are a part of the series titled “Literature - A New Chapter”.

The work of respected Polish comics authors and publishers will be presented at the 52nd edition of the Festival in Angoulême by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, in cooperation with the Polish Comics Association, the Polish Book Institute and the Polish Institute in Paris.

Apart from the display of works and a booth in the publishers’ rights zone, the events will also feature the participation of female and male artists – laureates of the open call organised by the Polish Book Institute: Wojtek Stefaniec, Rafał Szłapa, Anna Krztoń, Berenika Kołomycka, Beata Pytko, Daniel Chmielewski, Adam Święcki and Jan Mazur.

As part of the festival, on 31 January, at 11:00, a discussion panel “The Undiscovered, Amazing World of Polish Comics” will be held with the participation of Berenika Kołomycka, Beata Pytko, Adam Święcki and Daniel Chmielewski. The panel will be moderated by Artur Ćmikiewicz.

At the same time, in the gallery space neighbouring on the festival, between 29 January and 2 February AMI and the Polish Comics Association will organise an exhibition devoted to the contemporary Polish comics art titled “The Polish Quarter”. The exhibition will feature a series of meetings with authors, signings of books with graphic autographs as well as comics workshops for children.

During the exhibition, however, we would like to show you those artists who are at the door of the international career. We are presenting comic books that have been published in recent years and have left their mark on the contemporary Polish comics market, while at the same time displaying outstanding artistry of their authors. All fifteen authors serve as a proof that the contemporary comics can be diverse and that this very diversity guarantees outreach to broad audiences. What we have here is a minimalist style with deep message – Jan Mazur, unleashed artistry full of references to the contemporary high art – Piotr Marzec and Wojciech Stefaniec, classic realism – Rafał Szłapa, the use of painting techniques – Joanna Karpowicz and Berenika Kołomycka, as well as formal experiments – Zavka. We also have artists who have only just published their debuts – Anna Poszepczyńska and Beata Pytko, as well as those with achievements – Adam Święcki and Tomasz Lew Leśniak (also working as an animator). We have drama comics – Katarzyna Witerscheim, entertainment comics – Macin Surma, literary adaptations – Daniel Chmielewski, and autobiographical comics too – Anna Krztoń.

The exhibition presents the original comic works and offers a great opportunity to have a close look at the comic artists’ skills. An additional exposition of comic books from which the presented works are derived allows viewers to compare the final product with the source material.

Partners: Polish Book Institute, Polish Institute in Paris