23.–29. September 2021

Kampus Hybernská, Prague

The eighth edition of the festival was not easy to plan. Preparations usually begin in February, but the pandemic situation was constantly changing and foreign festivals were being canceled. The word “ruin” was heard more and more often at meetings. In the end, we decided to focus this exhibition on crises and difficulties – and, in addition to the specifics of the pandemic year, to explore how these themes crept into the work of young illustrators. It was a year of alarming ecological collapses, social unrest, and the coronavirus pandemic… Now you can see how illustrators have dealt with these themes in newspapers and magazines, as well as in personal projects and diary entries. Alongside uncompromisingly critical reflections, you will also find plenty of irony, exaggeration, and humor, which can creatively transform even a feeling of doom.

In addition to the main ZMAR (Ruin) exhibition, LUSTR 2021 also featured the Showcase. The exhibition of young talent in 2021 brought the freshest fruits of the labor of the youngest generation of artists. This free showcase of new faces was created on the basis of an international call for entries, which attracted 259 applicants. A panel of experts selected the most interesting and distinctive entries for you. This year’s panel for the free illustration section included comic book artists Štěpánka Jislová and Juliána Chomová, Klára Vöröšová from the No Ordinary Heroes bookstore, literary and comic book critic Kateřina Čopjaková, KOMA festival dramaturge Tomáš Řepa, editor and publicist Lukáš Růžička, and comic book writer Tereza Čechová (Drahoňovská). Barbora Müllerová and Nadia Bilinová were in charge of the festival.

There was also a small exhibition by Portuguese author Ana Pêgo, PLASTICUS MARITIMUS, an invasive species. Plasticus maritimus is on the list of exotic species that threaten the biological diversity of the seas and oceans and our very existence. Marine biologist Ana Pêgo, who also curated the exhibition, wrote a book of the same name about this new species. The items on display are just a small sample of the catches obtained between 2015 and 2020 on Portuguese beaches. The book was published in Czech by Jakost in 2020.

From April 10 to 24, 2021, the third annual Symposium of Illustration took place in Broumov. The event was hosted by the Broumov Education and Cultural Center, and for two weeks, the Dům Gallery became a studio for five Czech illustrators, who were remotely joined by one foreign guest. The illustrators spent their stay not only working in the studios. Given that the daily work of an illustrator is mostly a solitary affair, the entire residency was an important opportunity for the artists to share their professional experiences. Each of the symposium participants created their own artistic or graphic work, which you can see at the eighth edition of LUSTR. The participants of the 2021 symposium were Štěpánka Jislová, Marek Kulhavý, Barbora Idesová, Jakub Bachorík, Veronika Vlková, and Marika Haustein.

The latest exhibition, Mexican Salon, featured stars of Mexican illustration and was curated by Maru Aguzzi, director of Gran Salón Mexico.

A total of 2,600 visitors attended the festival: 950 adults, 583 students, 290 schoolchildren in school groups, and 780 non-paying visitors.

The program featured 97 exhibitors from the Czech Republic and abroad and 38 guests in the accompanying program.

Festival Director:

Naděžda Bilinová

Curators:

Bára Müllerová (Zmar/Ruin)

Maru Aguzzi (Mexican Salon)

Visual:

Illustration: Alexey Shahov

Graphic design: Filip Kopecký

Animation: SULC kolektiv