22.–28. September 2022

Kampus Hybernská, Prague

This year’s exhibition program consisted of six separate exhibitions. The main exhibition was entitled Divočáci (Wild boars) – Expressive Tendencies in (Czech) Illustration, while other exhibitions included the Japanese Salon presenting contemporary Japanese illustration, the charity exhibition War Posters from Ukraine, and an exhibition of works created at this year’s Symposium of Illustration in Broumov. The Young Talent Showcase section presented emerging illustration and comic book artists who had not yet been seen at the festival. The exhibition Diálogos ilustrados featured comic book authors Kateřina Čupová and Carla Berrocal.

Among the international stars of this year’s LUSTR were Lithuanian illustrator Egle Zvirblyte, who presented two series of prints and two inflatable objects at the festival, Dutch illustrator Andrew Tseng, Austrian artist Sarah Maria Schmidt, and German illustrator and painter Paul Waak, who also prepared a workshop for festival participants. Visitors to the festival could also meet Sarah Maria Schmidt as part of the LUSTR Talks program.

The main exhibition, Wild Boars – Expressive Tendencies in (Czech) Illustration, presented twenty-five wild illustrators from the past and present, from Josef Váchal to today’s university students. Visitors to this boldly conceived exhibition were able to enjoy Josef Váchal’s woodcuts alongside contemporary graphics with post-internet influences. The exhibition offered a comprehensive overview of the directions taken by the Czech expressive tradition in illustration over more than a century and, in addition to currently active artists of the youngest and middle generations, also presented both stars and unjustly forgotten authors of past eras. The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Museum of Czech Literature and the private archives of Jiří Šalamoun and Mr. and Mrs. Kabát.

Wild Boars – Expressive Tendencies in (Czech) Illustration – list of exhibitors: Adéla Bierbaumer, Přemysl Černý, Stanislav Duda, Jakub Hrdlička, Miloslav Jágr, Tomáš Javůrek, Václav Kabát, Zdena Kabátová-Táborská, Jindřich Kovařík, Lucie Lučanská, Alois Mikulka, Květa Pacovská, Martin Raudenský, Magdalena Rutová, Tereza Říčanová, Zdeněk Seydl, Tereza Šiklová, Jiří Šalamoun, Barbara Šalamounová, Josef Váchal, Alžběta Zemanová, Haras Ananas / Sarah Maria Schmidt, Andrew Tseng, Paul Waak, Egle Zvirblyte

The free Showcase of Young Talent presented thirty-one young illustrators and comic book artists who had not yet exhibited at Lustr. The selection of works focused specifically on their creations from the past year. Through this section, the festival aims to offer the very latest from the illustration scene and also to introduce new names. The exhibition was again divided into two separate sections: comics and free illustration. The exhibitors in this section were selected by two expert juries, for comics by Branko Jelinek, Barbora Satranská, Kateřina Čopjaková, Juliána Chomová, and Michał Słomka. The exhibiting jury for the free illustration section consisted of Magdalena Rutová, Juraj Horváth, Hana Řičicová, and Ivana Pecháčková. Naděžda Bilinová, Jana Jarošová, and Barbora Müllerová participated in the selection on behalf of the festival.

Young Talent Showcase Exhibitors: Čarokrásno, Mariana Jirátová, Yana Boyko, Matto, Jovana Ćubović, Anna Niklová, Petr Korunka, Marco Rapant, Helena Nemec, Tomáš Jedno, Matěj Peterka, Lemur nazdi, Judit Zengövári, Elenia Beretta, Kateřina Dobroslava, Dorota Briestenska, The Big OG, Tereza Krupková, Skuliak Maniak, Omar Cheikh, Tomáš Staněk, Zuzana Šebelová, Luca Scandurra, Bernard Gloom, Kateřina Tesařová, Petra Palíšková, Sergio Caruso, Daria Dedok, Stuitko, Tomáš Motal, Mila Yaneva

The exhibition Japanese Salon for LUSTR was curated by Saki Matsumoto, a Japanese illustrator living in the Czech Republic. She selected artists for the festival who also engage in free creation and have different styles and perspectives on the world. Many of the exhibitors were introduced to the Czech public for the first time. The exhibition was accompanied by a debate with Japanese illustrators moderated by Saki Matsumoto and Jana Jarošová.

List of exhibitors: Tatsuro Kiuchi, Taku Bannai, Yamyam, Saki Matsumoto, amigos KOIKE, Motohiro Hayakawa, mirocomachiko, Keita Minami, Hitomi Ito.

The exhibition program was complemented by two smaller exhibitions: illustrations created during the Symposium of Illustration in Broumov and the exhibition Diálogos ilustrados, presenting two comic book authors: Spanish artist Carla Berrocal and rising star of Czech comics Kateřina Čupová, whom visitors could also meet during the accompanying program. This exhibition was created in collaboration with the Czech Literary Center and the Cervantes Institute and was curated by Kateřina Valentová, an expert on Spanish comics.

As part of the accompanying program, the festival offered viewers a series of workshops, lectures, live comic book readings, and guided tours. The program for children included, for example, workshops on animation, paper toy making, animated film screenings, and a workshop for young comic book critics. Workshops for adults offered programs for both laymen and professionals in the field, such as lessons in digital illustration, comic book scriptwriting, and the basics of accounting for freelancers. The LUSTR Talks lecture program featured a total of 17 guests from the Czech Republic and abroad, five presentations of new illustrated books, and three live comic book readings.

In light of current events, we also devoted part of the program to events in Ukraine. In cooperation with the Ukrainian illustrators’ association Pictoric, we created an exhibition War posters from Ukraine. The works on display in this section were auctioned off at the end of the festival, with all proceeds going to the SOS collection for Ukraine organized by People in Need. The proceeds from a charity second-hand sale, which also took place during the festival, will go to the same collection.

War Posters from Ukraine exhibitors: Tania Yakunova, Olga Shtonda, Oleksandr Shatokhin, Oksana Drachkovska, Masha Foya, Anna Sarvira, Anna Andreieva

The festival was attended by a total of 2,900 spectators, of whom 2,642 were paying visitors. There were 1,458 adults, 755 students, 429 schoolchildren in school groups, and approximately 250 non-paying visitors. We recorded the highest attendance in the history of the festival, and interest from schools doubled compared to last year. The program featured 78 exhibitors from the Czech Republic and abroad and 43 guests in the accompanying program.

Festival Director:

Naděžda Bilinová

Curators:

Bára Müllerová (Wild boars)

Jana Jarošová (Showcase)

Saki Matsomuto (Japanese salon)

Kateřina Valentová (Diálogos ilustrados)

Visual:

Graphic design: Alexandra Šliková

Illustrations: Jakub Bachorík