The Czech Literary Centre, a section of the Moravian Library, and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival have released details of their Comics Cultural Exchange taking place this autumn.

Czech comic book writer and artist Vojtěch Mašek has now arrived Kendal, where the Festival is to be held over 11th – 13th October, for a four-week creative stay which includes taking part in this year’s Festival. In return, the Czech Literary Centre will be hosting the British illustrator and artist Jacob Phillips for four weeks in Prague.

Exchange residency stays are also planned for 2020 and 2021.

This is the Festival’s second Comics Cultural Exchange of 2019. As we previously reported, the first, supported by the British Council, saw London based German-Japanese artist Mikiko heads to Quebec, Canada in April. Canadian artist Julie Rocheleau is now also in Kendal for a one-month residency.

Vojtěch Mašek is a comics writer and artist, author of film screenplays and theatre plays. His comic books have received eleven Muriel Awards and two have been published abroad. Along with Džian Baban, he contributed to the staging of Monstrkabaret Freda Brunolda (Fred Brunold’s Monster Cabaret), which gave rise to a comic-book trilogy. The film Křižáček (Little Crusader, 2017), which he co-wrote, received the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Along with Markéta Hajská and Máša Bořkovcová, he created the triptych O přibjehi (2010), commenting on the fate of Czech and Slovak Roma. Mašek is also the author of the internet hit Recykliteratura, which builds on the avant-garde tradition of associative montages using photographs and texts found in books and magazines.

Jacob Phillips is a freelance illustrator based in Manchester. When he was just 11 years old he wrote, drew and home-printed his first comic book, Roboy. He took this to Brighton Comic Convention and sold it from behind a table, selling out on the first day. Ever since, he has been scribbling away, working with clients such as BBC, Arrow Film, Headspace Property, Arte and Kino Lorber.

Jacob is the current colourist on Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal as well as working on his first original Image series, Past Is Prologue, with writer Chris Condon.

The Czech Literary Centre is a state-funded organisation supporting and promoting Czech literature abroad and in the Czech Republic. A section of the Moravian Library, its work includes promoting prose, literature for children and young adults, poetry, drama, comics, non-fiction and new forms of literature. The Centre also acts as an information hub for foreign publishers, translators, Czech studies specialists, event organisers and others interested in Czech literature.

• Vojtěch Mašek’s residency stay in Kendal runs from 24th September – 18th October 2019 | Jacob Phillips’ residency stay in Prague runs from 25th October – 22nd November 2019

WEB LINKS

• Find Vojtěch Mašek on Facebook

• Jacob Phillips is on Behance | Follow him on Twitter @jacobr_phillips | Find him on  Facebook |  Tumblr

• The Czech Literary Centre: www.czechlit.cz

• The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is back in Kendal in the Lake District 11th – 13th October 2019: www.comicartfestival.com | Podcast | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter |Youtube

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