Focus: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

Focus: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

This month we have a very special treat for you. Currently Taiwanese manga is slowly taking its place in the world stage, and this year marks the first time Taiwanese artists have been represented in their own pavillion in this international exhibition in Angoulême. We have interviewed some of these artists, the most acclaimed in Taiwan, and we...

Read more: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

Focus: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

The artists in this section have all been inspired in their work by travels or study abroad. Tpcat spent several years in England, where she started to re-evaluate the role of religion in society and gained an insight into the cultural divide between 'East' and 'West'. Iron tells of his return to Taiwan after a sustained period abroad, and how...

Read more: Returning from Abroad

Focus: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

The experience of local culture and how it is absorbed is often a big source of inspiration for manga artists. The two artists in this section give us an insight into what growing up in Taiwan was like, and the perspective on the world that this granted them.

“For me, comic books are a means towards understanding others, they are also a way...

Read more: Memories of the Local

Focus: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

Being a Manga artist is a job which demands a lot of sustained creative and imaginative output, in this section several of the artists discuss how they get their inspiration and how they are able to sustain creativity throughout their careers. Or as Chen Uen puts it "Amateurs talk about inspiration, professionals will tell you that you have to...

Read more: Creative Inspiration

Focus: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

There are many preconceptions about what constitutes Manga and what lies beyond its confines, the artists in this section have attempted to use different media to overcome these self-imposed boundaries, Ah Tui bridging graphic design and Manga, and Evan Lee bringing Manga to 3D format.

“Comic books may seem excessively surreal, but life...

Read more: Manga and Beyond

Focus: The Travels of Taiwanese Manga

Taiwan's culture draws on many different sources, stemming from traditions from the different parts and ethnic identities of China, the Pacific and its Austronesian peoples as well as its colonial legacy from Spain, Portugal and Japan. These traditions in the 21st Century engage in dialogue with the globalized world and The artists in this...

Read more: Tradition versus Modernity