【Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base)】Leads Local Comic Artists Participating in Exhibition in France Fifteen Fantasies
- Written by Media Outreach
Hong Kong Comics @ The 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival in France
Creativity of Hong Kong Comics Artists Honored by the International Comics Industry
The Angoulême International Comics Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023! 7 local artists joined the Festival in France with great support from overseas comics fans.
Since 2006, the 【Hong Kong Arts Centre】 has strived to organise programmes to promote Hong Kong's local comics culture and comics artists to audiences around the world. With the support from 【Create Hong Kong】(【CreateHK】), an initiative of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, more than 50 Hong Kong comics artists and members of the industry has participated in the world renowned Angoulême International Comics Festival, held annually in Angoulême, France and featured works, including Wai-chun LEE, Chi-ching LEE, Chi-tak LI, KONG KEE, SIU HAK, CHI HOI and LITTLE THUNDER. Such international exposure after the participation of the Festival afforded artists opportunities to showcase their creativity in partnership with iconic local brands such as Hong Kong Tramways, Hong Kong International Airport, and others. One member of the Hong Kong delegation in Angoulême, Chi-tak LI, later worked on a comic book project with the Louvre Museum and has a contract with an overseas publisher for a French edition of his featured comics. When commenting on the importance of such international representation for Hong Kong artists, Rebecca IP, Executive Director of the 【Hong Kong Arts Centre】, said, 'We are proud to once again present comics from Hong Kong at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. By actively promoting artists and their creations, we hope to further develop the arts in Hong Kong. 【Hong Kong Arts Centre】acts as a bridge between the local and overseas art scenes, and promotes comics artists with strong potential on the international stage. One of our missions is to make more people aware of Hong Kong's unique creations and local styles. I am truly happy to know that comics artists from Hong Kong have received further project invitations following the exhibition, and that their creativity and hard work have gained recognition around the world.' The 【Hong Kong Arts Centre】plans to continue promoting Hong Kong comics overseas. Given comics have the potential to transcend barriers, they are a way to connect Hong Kong culture with the wider world. The【Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base)】and the【Hong Kong Comics and Animation Federation】(HKCAF) partnered together again under the sponsorship of【Create Hong Kong】(CreateHK) to bring 15 original comic books published as part of the 1st HKCSP to readers outside the Asia-Pacific region in January. The 15 titles featured this year as part of the 50th annual Angoulême International Comics Festival in France. Together, the works showcase the impressive creativity of Hong Kong artists and the wide range of comics as an art form in Hong Kong. Following its inception in 1974, the Angoulême International Comics Festival has become the most important comics festival in Europe. It is held annually during the last week of January in Angoulême, France. The【Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base)】has since 2011, brought notable Hong Kong comics to the festival in a bid to foster collaboration between Hong Kong creators and overseas publishers and other industry players. These exchanges connect artists, industry representatives, and comic book fans eager to find new and exciting works. This year, with the sponsorship of 【CreateHK】,【Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base)】was pleased to participate in the festival again. Besides showcasing 15 comic books published under 1st HKCSP in Asian Pavilion Manga City, the Centre also set up a booth in the International Rights & Licensing Market. It is hoped that the above comics can successfully draw interest for overseas licensing and publications, seeking opportunities to promote the Hong Kong comics industry to the global market. Through...