LUSTR ON TOUR Exhibition at Taipei Illustration Fair
Two exhibition booths at the illustration fair
5–7 December 2025, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
Exhibiting artists:
Alžběta Zemanová – @alz.zem
Jakub Bachorík – @ddddchain
Marita Kelbl – www.martokelbl.com, @martotheka
Jakub Plachý – @jakub_plachy
Julie Černá – @obrazkyjulie
Klára Zahrádková – @ruthlittlegarden
Dana Lédl – www.myokard.com, @myokard_
Curators:
Barbora Müllerová, Naděžda Bilinová, Jana Jarošová & Andy Yen
On-site production team 2025 (Taipei):
Barbora Müllerová – exhibition curator and producer; installation and deinstallation; speaker in the accompanying programme
Alžběta Zemanová, Jakub Bachorík, Marto Kelbl – exhibiting artists; installation and deinstallation; participation in the accompanying programme
Additional collaborators:
Andy Yen – TIF curator
Naděžda Bilinová, Jana Jarošová – LUSTR festival organisational and production team
Magdalena Uhlířová – exhibition architecture
Aleksandra Šliková – graphic design
Julie Černá – cover illustration
LUSTR Festival’s participation in the Taipei Illustration Fair 2025 was highly successful and confirmed the strong, long-term collaboration between the two platforms, which has now been developing for three years. The Czech presentation, curated by the LUSTR Festival team in cooperation with TIF’s chief curator Andy Yen, was located in the main exhibition area of the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and showcased the work of seven contemporary Czech illustrators. The exhibition offered a varied overview of current artistic approaches—from artist books and comics to experimental visual storytelling—and was conceived to highlight the individuality of each creator while also pointing to shared qualities typical of Czech illustration, such as sensitivity, humour, and a strong focus on materiality.
The presentation attracted considerable interest from both professionals and the general public; the Czech booth stood out among the international exhibitions and continuously drew publishers, curators, students, and a wide audience. Visitors appreciated the diversity of themes and techniques, the opportunity to see original works as well as insights into the creative process, and Czech artist books in particular drew exceptional attention for their poetic character and graphic design. The positive feedback from audiences confirmed the appropriateness of the selected exhibiting artists.
The accompanying programme included several professional workshops and networking meetings, which significantly expanded the presentation of Czech illustration beyond the main exhibition space at TIF and supported the development of relationships with major educational institutions in Taipei.
Barbora Müllerová led a workshop for Master’s and PhD students of graphic design at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), one of Taiwan’s most prestigious universities with a long tradition in pedagogy, the arts and the humanities. The programme focused on a haptic approach to illustration and drew on her long-term teaching method, which encourages creativity through sensory perception and hands-on work with physical materials.
For a time, the participants completely stepped away from digital technologies and engaged in analogue processes—cutting, painting, printing, drawing, and combining various techniques. They created postcards inspired by their favourite place in the form of a 3D collage, which allowed them to intuitively explore the haptic qualities of materials, strengthen sensitive visual perception, and experience illustration as a holistic and spontaneous creative process.
Marita Kelbl led two workshops in Taipei for graphic design students, directly connected to her author books Začátek a konec (Beginning and End) and Ani holka, ani kluk (Neither a Girl nor a Boy).
The first workshop took place at NTNU and was intended for undergraduate students. Participants worked with acrylic inks and focused on overcoming the fear of the blank page, combining techniques, and searching for their own visual language. The artist first introduced her book Beginning and End, explained her approach to working with ink, and then the students further developed the topic through their own creative work.
The second workshop was held at National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT / Taipei Tech), one of the oldest and most respected technical universities in Taiwan, with a strong design background. Here, students focused on portrait-making inspired by Neither a Girl nor a Boy. They explored questions of identity and self-expression through self-portraiture and subsequently experimented with various artistic approaches. Both workshops offered students space for creative experimentation, the development of visual storytelling, and a deeper understanding of how personal themes can be translated into illustration.
The artists also visited Pon Ding, an important independent creative space in the centre of Taipei, which operates as a bookstore, gallery, and platform for contemporary art and design. In this environment—an essential hub for the local artistic community—they presented their artist books to the owner of the bookstore and gallery. The meeting took place in an open and friendly atmosphere and, although it likely did not result in immediate collaboration, the visit contributed to building contacts and raising awareness of contemporary Czech illustration among professionals and readers in Taipei.
During their stay in Taipei, the exhibiting artists also met with Markéta Zahumenská, Director of the Czech Centre Taipei. The meeting was informal yet highly inspiring and opened space for discussion about future opportunities for presenting Czech illustration and comics abroad. The artists introduced their work, shared their experience from Taipei Illustration Fair, and discussed current trends in Czech illustration. Markéta Zahumenská provided insight into the forms of support that the Czech Centres may offer in the future and also highlighted the importance of LUSTR Festival’s regular participation in TIF for increasing the visibility of Czech visual culture in Taiwan.
Social media outputs – Instagram & Facebook:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRkUqnsjKt_/?img_index=1
https://www.facebook.com/lustrfestival/posts/1441967894597963?ref=embed_post
We would like to thank the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Czech Literary Centre (a section of the Moravian Library), and the Czech Centre Taipei for their support.
