Illustration Festival to feature Taiwan

The Illustration Festival, hosted by French illustration magazine Kiblind, is to feature Taiwan as its theme country on Sept. 26 and 27 in Lyon, France.

Kiblind has collaborated with the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris to arrange exhibitions, forums and animation displays to showcase the work and cultural characteristics of contemporary Taiwanese illustrators.

Kiblind cofounder Jean Tourette said the magazine has a deep connection to Taiwan, as the country was featured in the international section of the magazine’s first issue in 2001.

Kiblind cofounder Jean Tourette is pictured in Paris on Friday.

Photo: CNA

This is the first time the festival, on its fourth edition, would feature a theme country and hold a month-long “artist in residence” program.

Three Taiwanese artists — Croter, Acia Yang and Chang Tzu-chun (張梓鈞) — were invited to the program, and their works would be displayed the festival, the theme of which is “Focus Taiwan.”

The artists, who recently arrived in France, are to spend a week visiting different art organizations in Paris and exchanging ideas before creating art during their residency, Tourette said.

Coming from Kaohsiung, Croter’s illustration style is realistic and rich in detail.

Yang, who studied in Brussels, is experienced in using vivid blocks of color to simplify lines and compositions.

Chang said she chose not to bring the materials she is accustomed to, as she looks forward to improvising during the program.

Having visited art organizations across Taiwan, Tourette said new encounters and exchanges are the best part of the program.

The festival featured collaborations with six Taiwanese artists in 2024 and last year, Tourette said.

The collaborations with Taiwan were “beautiful coincidences” that led to this year’s Illustration Festival, Tourette said.

The festival was first held in 2023, with each edition inviting about 30 international artists to participate.

It is also known for its “Expo Live” session, during which artists create paintings on large wooden cube-shaped structures on site.

Human beings are at the core of creation, and it is of the utmost importance to establish an art festival that emphasizes the artists’ presence on site, Tourette said.

“We hope that through the art festival and such a brilliant, international collaboration with Taiwan, we can shed light on the value of artists,” he added.