The «Comic Art Europe» project is a pilot project bringing together five European organisations representing different elements of the comic book ecosystem: a higher education institution, festivals and a museum. It aims to strengthen the comic book sector in Europe by experimenting with collaborative working methods. It promotes the transnational mobility of artworks, workers and creators as a means to significantly upscale the work. It prefigures a European comics community capable of positioning creators and organisations at a European level thereby challenging the historical dominance of the American and Japanese giants.
The project will experiment with professional training (summer camp and residency pathways), creative assistance (grants and residencies), dissemination of results in Europe and outside Europe (European comic book catalogue, large-scale dissemination channels) and mediation around the transformational power of comics (in particular through literacy workshops with comics).
«Comic Art Europe» will enable the participating organisations to test new ways of working together which will strengthen their skills and boost their profile and longevity.
The project partners, united by shared values and a belief in the transformational power of comics, constitute the embryo of a future network capable of bringing the sector together at a European level. This network will develop the capacities of its members, represent the sector at international trade fairs and markets, and consolidate a common culture built throughout this experimental project.
Comic Art Europe calls for artists from all European countries including the UK, EEA countries, Serbia and Switzerland.
Submit your comic project related to the theme below and take a chance to win 5 packages including a 5,000€ grant, an artist residency and support for production.
“As nations struggle to deal with unprecedented social, economic, and political unrest during a time of global pandemic, people around the world are challenged into questioning our ways of living, how they brought us to the present situation, and what they could become to ensure better outcomes.
As the comic art has often proved over the past decades to be able to comment on contemporary issues, whether they are of political, economic, or social relevance, this project calls for comic artists to offer us their visions of tomorrow, of what comes next. Optimistic or pessimistic, realistic or abstract, from the day after to far in the future, comic artists will give us their visions of tomorrow.”