An exhibition of Polish comic art has just opened in Birmingham, presented by publishers Centrala, which runs until mid-March.
The exhibition features the work of Mateusz Skutnik from his latest book, Blacky – a middle-aged guy living in a big city, growing older and being a parent. It is a funny and thought-provoking collection of bittersweet observations.
Blacky might seem to be just a regular guy but there is something very special about the way he looks at the world. Seen through his eyes, daily routines and things that tend to go unnoticed in a busy everyday life serve as triggers for reflection. Read it, but be warned – you will never look at a mug of cold coffee in the same way again.
Mateusz Skutnik is a nationally acclaimed illustrator, author of comics, writer, computer game designer; Pastel Games co-founder, founder and editor-in-chief of Vormkvasa, and a long-time collaborator of Ziniol magazine.
Skutnik’s works have been shown at exhibitions in Liege, Bologna, Brussels, Bremen, Leipzig, Barcelona, on Tenerife and also in Russia and Poland.
Pastel Games specializes in the production of flash games for internet browsers. The artist designs and codes the games, and he also creates their graphics. His best-known productions are Submachine, Daymare Town and 10 Gnomes.
Located at the Minerva Works in Birmingham, Centrala is a non-profit organisation with an innovative and challenging line in of European works available, including Blacky (which is terrific) and the award-winning an beautifully realized The Lonely Matador.
• Mateusz Skutnik: Blacky, An Exhibition of Comic Book Drawings runs at Centrala, Unit 4 Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, B5 5RT Birmingham until 17th March. More information here. This exhibition is followed in March by another in March on emigration – more details on that here.
• For more information on the exhibition and Centrala’s books visit: www.centrala-space.org.uk
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: downthetubes Comics News, Events, Exhibitions