Next Comic festival, Linz 09

Evo, čitavih deset dana mi je trebalo da sredim utiske i fotografije sa prvog izdanja Next Comic festivala, održanog od 6. – 8. marta u Lincu. Bilo je to sjajno iskustvo, korisno i u svakom pogledu osvežavajuće. I ne mislim pritom samo na strip festival, koji je očekivano bio odlično oganizovan i posećen, već na kompletnu impresiju koju ostavljaju grad, ljudi, atmosfera na ulicama… Inače sam Linc nije velik grad, ali je zato sav skockan i živopisan, baš kao neka fina kutija za čokoladu ili kakav lepo uređen, domaćinski špajz 🙂 Uz to je proglašen i za evropsku prestonicu kulture za 2009 godinu! Više o tome ovde. A na samom strip festivalu bilo je svega: otvaranje, dodela nagrada, tribine, predavanja razna.. No najviše je, razume se, bilo stripova, kako onih okačenih po zidovima galerija, tako i onih za pazarivanje. Meni su obe kategorije bile podjednako privlačne. Ipak, ono što me je najviše obradovalo bila je radionica koju su organizovali naši sjajni domaćini iz Unkraut strip kolektiva! Inspirisani našim prošlogodišnjim okupljanjem u Pančevu na radionici Kuhinje (galerija Elektrika, oktobar, 2008.) ali i samim konceptom crtanja stripova u kuhinjskom ambijentu, drugari iz Unkrauta su u jedan od galerijskih prostora doneli pravu pravcatu starinsku kuhinju! Nisu izostali ni prateći elementi u vidu sudopere, krpara po podu, kariranih stolnjaka, čaja, klope… Doda li se tome podatak da su u istom prostoru bile postavljene izložbe stripova Aleksandra Zografa i fenomenalnih vezova Gordane Baste, jasno vam je da je štimung bio kompletan. Nismo imali kud no da smesta prionemo na crtanje, najpre po papirima, a kasnije i po samom kuhinjskom nameštaju 🙂 Jako sam srećna što mi je ukazana čast da iscrtam čak dve fijoke! I Vlada Palibrk je iscrtao jednu, evo, vidi se na fotkama, dok je Zograf u saradnji sa ilustratorom i strip autorom Henrikom Dorgatenom iscrtao čitava vrata jednog ormara! Međutim, najbolja stvar u vezi ove akcije je ta što će se ovako “nastripovan” nameštaj prodati na aukciji, a prihod će otići u dobrotvorne svrhe. I naravno, još mnogo je zanimljivih detalja o kojima bih pisala, ali čini mi se da se ovaj post malo odužio. Za kraj ću pomenuti i klib KAPU, mesto gde smo bili smešteni. KAPU je poznat po mnogo čemu, ali najviše po svirkama i gostovanjima raznih bendova, među kojima je i Nirvana! Naime, pre dvadeset godina, na samom početku karijere, Kurt Cobain se obreo u Lincu i održao koncert baš u ovom klubu. Evo, ima i snimak. Na jednom od išaranih zidova u prostoru gde smo spavali navodno se i potpisao… Za svaki slučaj i sama sam nacrtala nekoliko crteža po zidovima 🙂
Puno hvala drugarima iz Unkrauta – Christianu, Martinu, Janini, Miki, Williu…, ljudima iz KAPU-a, kao i glavnom uredniku festivala Gotffridu Gusenbaueru.

Što se fotki tiče, ovo je samo delić. Ostatak pogledajte ovde.
A evo i najnovijeg Zografovog stripa sa utiscima iz Linca. Uži
vajte!

It took me ten days to gather my thoughts and sort the photos from the first Next Comic festival, which was held from March 6 to March 8 in Linz (Austria). It was a great experience, useful and refreshing in every way. By that I don’t mean just the comics festival, which, as expected, was very well organized and well visited. The whole impression that the city left on me was refreshing – the people, the atmosphere on the streets… Linz itself is not a big city, but it is tidy and lively, just like a nice chocolate box or some nicely arranged domestic kitchen closet 🙂 In addition, it was made the European Capital of Culture 2009! More about that here.
And during the festival itself there was the opening, the award ceremony, discussions, lectures… and, of course, comics. Those hung on the gallery walls and those on sale. I liked both.
But what impressed me the most was the workshop organized by our great hosts from the Unkraut comics collective! Inspired by our gathering in Pancevo last year, on the Kitchen Workshop (Elektrika gallery, October 2008), and by the concept of drawing in the kitchen ambiance, they brought a real old-time kitchen to the gallery! All the elements were there: the kitchen sink, floor mops, checkered table cloths, tea, food… Add to that the exhibitions of Alexandar Zograf’s comics and incredible embroidery of Gordana Basta, which were set up in the same space, and the mood was just right. We could not resist drawing, first on paper and then all over the kitchen furniture 🙂 I was very honored to get the chance to draw over two whole drawers! And Vlada Palibrk drew one, while Zograf, together with Henrik Dorgathen did the whole closet door! And the best thing about drawing on the furniture it that these “comicized” kitchen parts will be sold on an auction, with all profit going to charity.
There were a lot more interesting details I could write about, but I feel this post is already too long. At the end, let me just mention the KAPU club, the place where we slept. KAPU is well known by concerts that many famous bands held there at their beginnings, like Nirvana who played in Linz twenty years ago. There is a video from that concert. Allegedly, Curt Cobain signed his name on one of the walls… I drew couple of sketches on the walls myself :-)
Thanks a lot to friends from Unkraut – Christian, Martin, Janina, Mika, Willie…, people from KAPU, and the director of the festival Gottfrid Gusenbauer.

As for the photos, this is just a small bit, the rest is here.
And here’s Zograf’s latest comic with his impressions from Linz. Enjoy!