Impressions from Ligatura

Finally the promised report from Ligatura, the biggest alternative comics Festival in Poland. It took a while to recover... This Festival was held for the first time in the beginning of February and it featured a very rich program containing exhibitions of local Poznan artists spread all over the city, an exhibition of female comics artists from central Europe in the city castle, a presentation of the comics collection in the university library, an exhibition of comics from behind the iron curtain, different exhibitions of International artist (groups) from Eastern Europe, presentations from national and international comics projects, comics seminars with International comics experts, movie screenings, a comics market and a pitching, where artist presented their current comics project to an International Jury, and last but not least, a Festival Bar with parties every night. And if you thought the organizers should be tired from creating such a great program, you were mistaken, while you found it is time to go listen to your pillow at four in the morning, they were partying on. Almost mystical they seemed to have never slept, but were at all time super organized and always in a great mood. This sure has been the best comics experience in a long time and we hope Ligatura will go on, promising to be one of the best and most inspiring comics festivals not only in Central Europe.

Here some impressions in pictures (and few text):

The female comics from central Europe exhibition in the City castle
 

Ingrida Picukane from Latvia in front of her potato "porno" in the female exhibition.

 

Ingrida Picukane, Veronica Solomon from Romania and Olga Wrobel  pictured for a Polish newspaper 

  

University comics collection sorted by themes, excellently curated by Rafal Wojcik. The collection now also includes kush!

Exhibition opening of Ada Buchholc (left), in the middle another Poznan artist (Gosia Ce) and organizer Anna Suska.

 

Romanian artist Alexandru Ciubatariu in the czech exhibition "Art in Comics/Comics in Art"

  

Another picture from the Czech exhibition curated by Eva Janacova and Radim Kopac.

Adam Radon representing the huge Lodz Comics Festival at the East Cover Comics Market. They have a great collection of comics -  every year they publish a book of the best competition entries, very great discoveries inside!

  

David Schilter, curator of the Latvian exhibition "Lost in the city" was tempted to get a massage to escape from the cold weather, but decided to open the exhibition in this very same building.

  

John A. Lent, editor of the International Journal of Comic Art, didn't get lost in the city and made a visit to our kush! exhibition (see last post).

In a super fancy private school we had the surprising privilege to hold a presentation of the Latvian comics scene.

Very serious jury of the east cover pitching. (John A. Lent, D. Schilter, Joachim Dvorak and Jose Alaniz; not in picture: Witold Tkacyk and Szymon Holcman)

 

Late night discussions in festival bar with organizer Michal Slomka and Orbis Pictus artist Kuba Woynarowski.

 

Cookie from the Polish railway, nice gift when going home from spending 5 days at such a very great and inspiring Festival. At this point we would also like to thank KKF, the Latvian Culture Capital Foundation, who made this trip possible for us, and of course big hugs to Anna Suska and Michal Slomka, the excellent festival organizers!