»Drawing as wish fulfillment«
A day for Anke Feuchtenberger

On September 29, 2023, the Comicfestival Hamburg invites you to a symposium for Anke Feuchtenberger at the Westwerk: The speakers and guests will deal with the current state of graphic storytelling and outline Anke Feuchtenberger’s special position in it. Her role as a feminist artist and most important pioneer, teacher, mentor and publisher of young graphic artists far beyond the German-speaking context will also be honored.
Renowned illustrators such as Rutu Modan from Tel Aviv, Birgit Weyhe and Sabine Wilharm from Hamburg will be invited. Of the numerous authors with whom Anke Feuchtenberger has collaborated, Katrin de Vries, Georg Klein and Wolfgang Hegewald will make an appearance. We will examine Anke Feuchtenberger’s international appeal with comics researchers Biz Nijdam (Vancouver), Jaqueline Berndt (Stockholm), Kalina Kupczyńska (Łódź), Marina Rauchebacher (Vienna) and Anna Beckmann (Berlin), as well as with her Italian publisher Liliana Cupido (Bologna) and her American translator Mark Nevins (New York).

Fri 29.09. 9:30 h
Anke Feuchtenberger in the focus of comics research
With Anna Beckmann (Berlin), Jaqueline Berndt (Stockholm), Kalina Kupczyńska (Łódź), Biz Nijdam (Vancouver) and Marina Rauchenbacher (Vienna)
Moderation: Ole Frahm (Frankfurt a. M.)
In cooperation with the Arbeitsstelle für Graphische Literatur, the University of Hamburg and the German Society for Comics Research (ComFor)

Fri 29.09. 11:30 h
Welcoming speech Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda & Rutu Modan (Tel Aviv)
Book presentation »Die Königin Vontjanze: Kleiner Atlas zum Werk von Anke Feuchtenberger«
Followed by: Lunch

Fri 29.09. 14 h
What does art know? A small festive parlando for Anke Feuchtenberger
Wolfgang Hegewald (Hamburg)

Fri 29.09. 14:30 h
International Contexts (English)
With Liliana Cupido (Bologna), Mark Nevins (New York), Biz Nijdam (Vancouver) and Yirmi Pinkus (Tel Aviv)
Moderation: Birgit Weyhe (Hamburg)

Fri 29.09. 15:30 h
Anke Feuchtenberger draws »Das Haus der Geburten«
Katrin de Vries (Bunde)
Followed by: Coffee break

Fri 29.09. 16:30 h
»Das Schaukelmädchen« Horror and beauty in a drawing by Anke Feuchtenberger
Georg Klein (Bunde)

Fri 29.09. 17 h
Slide show with guests

Anke Feuchtenberger
»Genossin Kuckuck«

The long-awaited new book by Anke Feuchtenberger is on the one hand an autobiographical pictorial narrative that spans a childhood in the village of Prichitanov in the 1960s to the privatization of national property in the 1990s. At the same time, it is a work of fantasy: The characters eat, reproduce, decompose, beat, and sing plasma. Hermaphrodites, cannibals and creatures that are neither animal nor plant appear — as does Kerstin, who arrives too late.
Anke Feuchtenberger has worked on this story for over a decade, and with »Genossin Kuckuck« (Reprodukt) once again confirms the unique position she holds in the international scene.
The exhibition at Westwerk forms the center of our festival focus this year in honor of Anke Feuchtenberger.

Kate Charlesworth
»United Queerdom«

When Kate Charlesworth was born in 1950, homosexuality was punishable by law and the word homosexuality had not yet crossed the airwaves once at the BBC. Not exactly the best conditions for forming a healthy lesbian identity. In her autobiographical comic »United Queerdom« she shares her development and struggle for a self-determined lesbian life with humor, glamour and fighting spirit and at the same time creates a plea for equal rights for queer people.
Kate Charlesworth (b. 1950) is a British illustrator and cartoonist. After art school in Manchester, she began to work as a freelance illustrator in London, where together with David Shenton she was part of what was then called the Golden Age of gay publishing. Today she lives and works in Edinburgh. Her work appears in magazines, books, comics and digital media. digital media. Her graphic memoir »United Queerdom« will be published by Carlsen Comics in time for the festival.

Léa Murawiec
»Die große Leere«

Manel Naher lives in a dystopian world where media presence is the currency of the ubiquitous attention economy. Whose name is known exists — whoever has no presence is in danger of disappearing. What however, if a star bears the same name and thus endangers one’s own existence? With clear design and lively strokes between manga borrowings and cinematic rhythms, Léa Murawiec creates a fast-paced allegory on social networks, media fame and social recognition dynamics in her debut.
In addition to originals and materials from »Die große Leere«, the exhibition features selected items from Murawiec’s wider body of work for the small publishing house she co-founded: Éditions Flutiste.
Léa Murawiec (*1994) studied graphic design in Paris, Angoulême and Shanghai. For »Die große Leere« (Edition Moderne, 2023), she was awarded the 2022 Audience Award at the International Comics Festival in Angoulême.

Nando von Arb
»Fürchten lernen«

In his new book, Nando von Arb talks about fear. It is the fear of the dark, of loneliness, of death. Von Arb takes us into an in-between world that is shaped by his own experiences, but remains open to interpretation. In his distinctive style, he brings childlike perspectives to life and makes the omnipresence of existential fears tangible.
Nando von Arb (*1992) lives and works as a comic artist and illustrator in Zurich. In 2019, he published his first graphic novel »Drei Väter«, which won numerous awards, including the Swiss Youth Book Prize. »Fürchten lernen« will be published for the festival by Edition Moderne.

Jan Soeken
»Who would win?«

On the Internet, you often come across the simple question »Who would win?«. Who would win if a lion competed against a tiger, a great white shark against a killer whale, a coyote vs. a dingo? Inspired by this phenomenon, Jan Soeken takes on 15 fighting pairs in »Who would win?« and parodies the genre through its absurd combatants. Each fight is brought to a close on eight pages and surprises are guaranteed!
Jan Soeken (*1980) studied illustration at HAW Hamburg and works as a freelance illustrator and comic author. His publications include the comics »Friends« and »Slocum«. His new book will be published again by avant-verlag in time for the festival. In collaboration with Cleptomanicx Clothing, apparel was created for this purpose, which will also be on display in the exhibition.

Jul Gordon
»Der Frischkäse ist im 1. Stock«

Dream diaries are common knowledge, but comic dream diaries are a little-served genre. Staggering to the drawing table while half asleep and putting the dreams she experiences to paper is what Jul Gordon did over a period of nearly two years for this publication. The result is a glimpse into an ambiguous world that feels as enraptured as it is intimate.
Jul Gordon (*1982) studied illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. In addition to numerous self-published works, she has also published with 2d Cloud, Colorama and Mami Verlag, among others. Her new book was published this year by Edition Moderne in collaboration with Colorama, where it will be published in English in autumn 2023.

Marlene Krause
»Niemand ist frei«

»Niemand ist frei« is a graphic novel of letters that tells the story of Dúda, Luiz and Cristian. All three are in search of freedom — but what does it mean, and how can they attain it? In this fictional narrative, Krause processes her own experiences of precarious work and impressively links them to political contexts.
Marlene Krause (*1984) studied illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. She worked as a freelance illustrator and comic author in Barcelona and is co-founder of the Small Press Festival GutterFest there. She currently lives Berlin, where she was awarded the 2023 Comicstipendium of the of the Berlin Senate.

Ivan Schremf
»I hate introspection«

In his autobiographical comic, Ivan Schremf deals with autism and the question of how the visualization of feelings works. With its very own, special visual language, the comic draws readers into its world and lets them compare their own inner and outer images.
Ivan Schremf (*1998) studies illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. With »I hate introspection« he debuts with his first comic at Mami Verlag from Hamburg.

Antonia Kühn
»Apropos Elbe«

Winner of the Hamburg Literature Award in the category »Comic« 2022
Family therapists and guidebooks recommend a clear structure for separated children. That’s what Nora, a mother in a patchwork family, wants: clarity and the ability to check things off. Instead, however, things slip away from her; she sinks deeper and deeper into her thoughts, until suddenly a new voice speaks up.
Antonia Kühn (*1979) studied illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and made her Reprodukt debut with »Lichtung« in 2018. In her new comic, she deals with the topic of patchwork families and has already convinced the jury of the Hamburg Literature Award 2022 with her sensitive and multifaceted narrative style.

Nushanchel
»Taste of Honey«

»Taste of Honey« is a comic about a girl who tries to recover forgotten memories from her childhood. She is helped by honey, the taste of which connects her with the past.
Anna Ryzhova aka Nushanchel studied at the HSE design school in Moscow. The main message of the artist: there are no feelings that need to be suppressed, on the contrary — they need to be accepted and worked with, whether it is fear or joy, love or pain.

María Medem
»Animation Reel«

The works of the Spanish comic artist María Medem have been published by Apa Apa Cómics, Colorama Clubhouse and appeared in the New York Times. For the festival María Medem will be screening animated miniatures in the window of Markthof on Saturday evening.

Anke Feuchtenberger
»Schneckenshirts«

Exclusively for the Comicfestival Hamburg Anke Feuchtenberger has designed a T-shirt. The screen printers from druck dealer have produced it in a limited edition and you can buy it in their store in addition to many other nice products.

Wiebke Bolduan
»Viktoria Aal«

The very unhappy Bruks has written a novel whose main character, the mermaid Viktoria Aal, is perpetually happy. After a publisher’s rejection, Bruks leaves »Viktoria Aal« behind her at first. But then her own work unexpectedly catches up with her again …
Wiebke Bolduan (*1994) studied illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. In the showcase exhibition she presents insights into her book, in which she tells of authorship, self-acceptance and mermaids. »Viktoria Aal« will be published by Reprodukt in spring 2024.

»Bitte übersetzen!«
New comics from Europe

»Bitte übersetzen!« presents current books from other European countries that have not yet been published in German. The exhibition with works by Conxita Herrero Delfa (ES), Léopold Prudon (FR), Tereza Šiklovà (CZ) and Zane Zlemeša (LV) shows how diverse the European comic and graphic novel scene is today and which positions are not yet represented by publishers in German-speaking countries.
Léopold Prudon (*1993) published his debut with L’Association and is currently working on his third graphic novel »Aliocha disparu«. His drawings, characterized by strong contrasts, show a stylistic richness between realism and minimalist graphics. In this way, he seeks a careful and unagitated approach to emotional themes such as personal crises and death.
Zane Zlemeša (b. 1988) is an illustrator and comics writer. In addition to her 2017 debut »Fenix« published by kuš!, she regularly publishes illustrations in German-language publications such as Zeit Leo, Hohe Luft or Strapazin. In her current project »Sappe« she addresses the often forgotten common history of Latvia and Germany. Using the example of the fate of serfs in the 19th century, she tells a story about social classes, the social classes, the German-speaking aristocracy in Latvia and today’s Baltic States.
Tereza Šiklovà (b. 1996) has already been recognized for her children’s book »Obr« (Baobab, 2021) at the Bologna 2023 Children’s Book Fair. Her project »Back to the Summer« collects childhood memories of summer days around the year 2000 and describes incidents that seem so familiar to readers as if they were their own memories.
Conxita Herrero Delfa (*1993) draws comics, illustrates, writes poems and songs. Her graphic novel debut, »Gran bola de helado«, was published in Spain in 2016 by Apa Apa Cómics and has already been published in France, Italy, and the United States. With clear lines and bright colors, she tells stories of the seemingly mundane while developing her own narrative and formal language.

Science Comics
»Wissenschaft trifft Kunst«

Together with comic artists, the Young Academy Fellows of the Academy of Sciences in Hamburg have once again produced new science comics this year. The topics covered come from a variety of research fields — from psychology and sociology, to law and political science, to philosophy and logic.
The exhibition presents the results of the collaboration in the Information Center of the Hamburg State and University Library. The scientists are temporarily on site to discuss their comics with the festival visitors.
With Hannah Brinkmann, Marlin Beringer, Moritz Stetter, Melanie Gandyra and Matteo Farinella.

Zine Salon
»Foot Books«

Since 2021, the publishing house »Foot Books« has been producing its own zines in collaboration with international artists from the fields of art and comics. Three new publications by Acacio Ortas, Tracy Brannstrom and Tim Ng Tvedt will be presented at the Comicfestival Hamburg — in addition to an extensive collection of zines from around the world, which the Raum für Illustration will continue to show beyond the festival weekend as part of its Zine Salon.
The Zine Salon will be on view at the Raum für Illustration through 2024 with various focuses and constellations. Opening hours are Wednesday through Sunday 12 to 19 h each day.
Additional dates outside the festival weekend can be viewed at rfiworld.de.

Éditions Adverse
»Zwischen Comic und Künstler:innenbuch«

Since 2016, Alexandre Balcaen and his publishing house Éditions Adverse have been pursuing the goal of expanding the artistic discipline of comics. He now looks at a catalog of nearly 60 publications, which are often closer to the art book than the traditional comic book and cannot be reproduced industrially — much of the book production is done by hand.
The exhibition shows the production and working methods of the publishing house. Prints, original drawings, and books, as well as documentary photos, video and audio documents, and texts illustrate the vision behind the concept and how it is reflected in the publishing practice.

Spring
»Togetherness«

The comic and illustration anthology Spring, organized and drawn exclusively by women, has been published for 20 years. Originally created at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, the project has become an important mouthpiece not only for the Hamburg scene. Each year, the group of artists publishes a new volume of the anthology, which brings together the various works from the fields of comics, illustration and free drawing, each on a different theme. With the new issue #20 on the theme of »Togetherness« appearing on the occasion of the anniversary, the ongoing success is celebrated and a toast is made to all years and issues.
With Maren Amini, Ludmilla Bartscht, Julia Bernhard, Larissa Bertonasco, Romy Blümel, Almuth Ertl, Doris Freigofas, Katharina Gschwendtner, Line Hoven, Katharina Kulenkampff, Claire Lenkova, Carolin Löbbert, Ulli Lust, Maria Luisa Witte, Sophia Martineck, moki, Nina Pagalies, Katrin Stangl, Kati Szilagyi, Birgit Weyhe, Stephanie Wunderlich and Anne Vagt

Thomas Wellmann
»Nika, Lotte, Mangold! Immer was los!«

Nika is into metal, video games and action. Lotte is super athletic, super accurate and super smart. Mangold has the best taste in clothes and can do the best cannonballs. Sometimes silly, sometimes thoughtful, but always with a lot of humor and drive, the three friends in Thomas Wellmann’s new comic face the big and small adventures in their lives.
Thomas Wellmann (*1983) has already published a multitude of comics for children. At the same time, he works in the field of animated film, most recently for Netflix and Nickelodeon. In addition to »Nika, Lotte, Mangold!«, the series »Pimo & Rex« has also been published by Rotopol.

Mirko Röper
»Rätselspaß im Wimmelreich«

Come and discover the magic of the picture puzzles! In these pictures, young and old visitors can find hidden clues, crack riddles and uncover exciting secrets. The exhibition shows a collection of motifs published in the magazine Dein SPIEGEL — exclusively for the Comicfestival Mirko Röper has also developed new images to discover and explore!
Mirko Röper (*1986) studied illustration in Düsseldorf and Hamburg. His illustrations appear regularly in the children’s magazine Dein SPIEGEL, among others.

Fair Comicfestival Hamburg 2023

At Kölibri, publishers, artists, collectives and university classes offer their books, zines, posters and much more for sale. The fair offers the opportunity to discover new publications and to talk to artists and publishers. Coffee, drinks and snacks will be available at the bar. In addition, there will be an info point in the Kölibri, where you can get program booklets and all important information about the festival.
Exhibitors include avant-verlag (Berlin), Carlsen Verlag (Hamburg), Colorama (Berlin), Edition Helden, Edition Moderne (Zürich), HAW Hamburg, Jaja Verlag (Berlin), Kibitz Verlag (Hamburg), kus! (Riga), MamiVerlag (Hamburg), Parallelallee (Berlin), Reprodukt (Berlin), Risofort (Hamburg), Rotopol (Kassel), UdK Berlin, University of Kassel and many more.

Guided tours

Organizers and helpers of the Comic Festival will guide you through the exhibitions, tell you interesting facts about the background of the works and report about their own work at the festival.
The walks take place on Saturday and Sunday in the afternoon and last a maximum of 2 hours. Participation in the walks is free of charge, registration is not required. Please be punctual at the meeting point!

»The artists’ notebooks«

Workshop with Alexandre Balcaen for adults with interest in publishing, drawing and writing
This workshop with independent publisher Alexandre Balcaen is all about artists‘ notebooks. Alexandre will present several projects that are unique in that they were drawn directly into a blank notebook. Afterwards, participants will create their own book projects.
Participants bring drawing materials, brushes, etc. of their choice — work is done on drawing notebooks prepared by Alexandre.
Alexandre Balcaen (*1981) is the founder of Editions Adverse and dedicates his publishing house to artists‘ books, among other things. He teaches history of comics in Angoulême and is active as a speaker and workshop leader at various art schools.
The workshop will be held in English. Duration: 3h
Please register via e-mail (until 18.09.) to wazinskijulia@gmail.com

»Comics for breakfast«

Workshop with Calixta Broza (for children from 7 to 12 years)
Can you turn a cereal box into a comic book? Of course! Anything to do with breakfast will be drawn in this workshop and then bound into booklets. Calixta Broza is studying illustration at HAW Hamburg in the master’s program. She has been giving painting and drawing classes for children in Hamburg since March 2022.
Please register via e-mail (until 28.09.) to workshops@comicfestivalhamburg.de

»Character Design«

Workshop for adults and young people (14 years and older) with Lukas Klimowicz and Ivan Schremf
Open workshop for beginners, which can be joined spontaneously. The created characters can be exhibited directly on site.
Lukas Klimowicz is studying illustration at the HAW Hamburg. His work focuses on comics and he has a preference for character design.
Ivan Schremf is also studying illustration at HAW Hamburg. With »I hate introspection« (Mami Verlag), he created an unusual work that visualizes feelings.
Duration: 4h. No registration required

»Live drawing & Live riddles«

With Thomas Wellmann and Mirko Röper (for children from 7 to 12 years)

Book launch
»Tandem — In der Lehre bei Anke Feuchtenberger«

With Jul Gordon, Brigitte Helbling, Magdalena Kaszuba and Birgit Weyhe
»Promote and challenge, without forgetting one’s own creative work«, this is how Anke Feuchtenberger’s credo could be summed up. The publication »Tandem« pays tribute to her teaching of comics, with which she has had a decisive influence in Hamburg, throughout Germany and internationally. In the juxtaposition of old student work and current projects, Feuchtenberger’s students reflect on what they learned in their studies, what they took with them, what they put aside and how their work has been changed by Anke Feuchtenberger.
With contributions by Barbara Yelin, Christina Gransow, Ika Sperling, Katharina Gschwendtner, Kathrin Bethge, Larissa Bertonasco, Lena Hällmayer, Line Hoven, Maria Tetzlaff, Marijpol, Michael Jordan, Moritz Wienert, Nacha Vollenweider, Simon Schwartz, Antonia Kühn, Jan Soeken, Jan Vismann, Julian Fiebach, Kaja Meyer, Karin Kraemer, Kathrin Klingner, Kerstin Wichmann, Klaas Neumann, Mia Oberländer, Nikita Michelsen, Yara Jakobs, Ask Kongsted, Janna Klävers, Jenny Wildfang, Noëlle Kröger, Sina Arlt, Anne Vagt, Alice Socal, Anton Engel, Benjamin Gottwald, Christine Brey, Eva Müller, Gesa Lange, Gosia Machon, Lilli Gärtner, Luka Lenzin, Marlene Krause, Vanessa Hartmann, Dominique Donoval, Julia Hoße, Magdalena Kaszuba, Jul Gordon and Birgit Weyhe.

»Ahmadjan und der Wiedehopf«

With Maren and Ahmadjan Amini
In her first extensive graphic novel, Maren Amini tells the life story of her father Ahmadjan, inspired by the ancient Persian poetry »Conference of Birds« by Fariduddin Attar (1136—1220). In 2023, »Ahmadjan und der Wiedehopf« received the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung Comic Book Prize. The award-winning duo provides insight into their work and reports on the creation and joint development of the story. The book will be published by Carlsen Verlag in Hamburg at the end of 2024.
Maren Amini (*1983) is an illustrator, cartoonist and comic artist. She studied at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg.
Ahmadjan Amini (*1953 in Malaspa in the Panjshir Valley) has lived in Hamburg since 1980, where he studied graphic design. He works as a visual artist.
The Berthold Leibinger Stiftung Comic Book Prize has been awarded every year since 2015 for an unpublished German-language comic book and is currently endowed with 25,000 euros. In addition to the prize-winning volume, the jury also awards up to nine other works with prize money of 2,500 euros.

»United Queerdom«
Artist talk with Kate Charlesworth

Kate Charlesworth talks with curator Andrea Heinze (rbb Kultur) about her graphic memoir »United Queerdom« (Carlsen Comics) and about her life as an LGBTQIA+ activist.

»The language of comics and the tradition of anti-Semitic images«

With Angelika Königseder (Berlin) and Ole Frahm (Frankfurt a.M.)
The historian Angelika Königseder from the Arthur Langerman Archive for the Study of Visual Antisemitism (ALVA) at the TU Berlin and the image theorist and comics expert Ole Frahm, a member of the artist collective LIGNA, will ask where anti-Semitic images come from and how they achieve their hurtful, denunciatory, and consequently destructive effect. On this panel, we want to explore the tradition of anti-Semitic imagery on the one hand, and on the other hand, we are interested in how comics relate to this tradition — after all, they have been reproducing anti-Semitic clichés since the Yellow Kid. At the same time, according to the thesis, comics are better suited than any other visual medium to reflect or even parody the stereotypes and their imagery. Examples are given by comics such as Hergé’s »Arumbaya-Fetish«, horror and superhero comics, but also »When the goddamn Jews take over America« by Robert Crumb.
Moderation: Andreas Stuhlmann (Hamburg)

»The Comic Report: Journalistic Narration in Comic Form«

With Augusto Paim
More and more cartoonists are becoming reporters who cover real events in comic form — in a variety of formats and platforms. Augusto Paim offers an adept insight into comics journalism, showing how comics tie in with journalism and how narrative forms and aesthetics of comics can be put to use.
Augusto Paim (*1985) is a journalist, comics researcher and translator. He has been working for many years in Brazil and Germany to increase the visibility of comics. His book »Die Comicreportage« was published by Christian A. Bachmann Verlag.

»SNAKKEBOB — I Looked Around the Apartment and Sighed«

Tim Ng Tvedt reads from his series SNAKKEBOB

»Fürchten lernen«

The Swiss comic artist Nando von Arb reads from his new book

»Bitte übersetzen! New Comics from Europe«

Leopold Prudon (FR), Tereza Siklovà (CZ) and Zane Zlemesa (LV) will present their current projects

»Rotopol«

Nadine Redlich, Thomas Wellmann, Guillaume Perrault and other authors of the publishing house read from their publications

»Die große Leere«

The French comic artist Léa Murawiec reads from her new book

Reading & Live Drawing

With Thomas Wellmann, Guillaume Perreault and Mirko Röper (for children from 7 to 12 years)

»Parallelallee«

Authors of the publishing house Parallelallee read from the Murkshefte

»Der Frischkäse ist im 1. Stock«

The Hamburg comic artist Jul Gordon reads from her new book

Book signing

Léa Murawiec

Book signing

Nando von Arb

Book signing

Zane Zlemeša

Party Comicfestival Hamburg 2023

With music, delicious drinks and the popular raffle, the traditional festival party brings artists, visitors and the team together. We celebrate the Comicfestival and our guests, raise our glasses and shake a leg.
Admission: 8 euros (incl. raffle ticket)

»The Gutter«

For the festival weekend, the comics library in the Gängeviertel opens its doors: »The Gutter« is part of the Comicfestival Hamburg e.V. and makes comics available free of charge to anyone interested. The book stock, which was created through donations in kind, has grown to over 2200 comics of various styles, years of origin and formats, within the six and a half years of existence. The Comics Library is regularly open every third Sunday of the month from 13 to 17 o’clock.