Polish Comics Artists at BD Comic Strip Festival in Brussels
From September 6th to 8th, 2024, the 14th edition of the BD Comic Strip Festival will take place in Brussels. The event will feature two highly successful artists from Poland, Berenika Kołomycka and Joanna Karpowicz, who have been invited by the Polish Institute in Brussels. During the three-day event, the artists will host drawing workshops for children and young people, sign their albums, and perform several live drawing sessions. At the Polish Institute’s stand, visitors are invited to explore an exhibition of original and previously unpublished illustrations by both creators, along with life-sized characters from their comics, inviting them to come round. The artists will also be joined by Polish publisher Paweł Timofiejuk from Timof Comics, who will present a wide selection of works by Polish comic artists, including new releases available on both the Polish and international markets.
BD Comic Strip Festival
September 6-8, 2024
Friday: 09:00-18:00, Saturday-Sunday: 10:00-18:00
Tour & Taxis, Gare Maritime
Avenue du Port, 1000 Brussels
free admission!
In Belgium, comics are considered the ninth art, and characters from comic books can be found everywhere—from museums, bookstores, and cafes, to murals adorning the walls of buildings, and even in city sculptures. In Brussels, comics are not just entertainment for young people, but a form of art that straddles the line between literature and film. The Brussels Comic Strip Museum, the comic mural trail, numerous comic bookstores, and even comic characters printed on Belgian passports all confirm that comics are an important part of Belgian national identity. For several years now, Brussels has been one of the key locations on the European comic map, and the annual Comic Strip Festival, established in 2010, continues to attract an ever-growing audience from around the world.
Polish comics are gaining increasing popularity both domestically and internationally. What sets them apart in the global market is the diversity and independence of their creators. Most Polish comic artists publish independent publications, which gives them the artistic freedom to experiment with both text and visuals.
At the invitation of the Polish Institute Brussels, two remarkable Polish authors, Berenika Kołomycka and Joanna Karpowicz, will be present at this year’s edition of the BD Comic Strip Festival in Brussels. Their comics have been translated into several foreign languages, and their fan base continues to grow. At the Polish Institute’s stand, there will be presented an exhibition of original and previously unpublished illustrations by both artists, along with large-format prints and characters from their comics. Visitors will get to know Joanna Karpowicz’s mysterious Anubis in a new edition, as well as the Malutki Lisek (Tiny Fox) and Wielki Dzik (Great Boar) from Berenika Kołomycka’s well-known series of albums for children of the same title. Throughout the Festival, the authors will showcase their exceptional skills during live drawing sessions and by creating illustrated autographs. At the Polish Institute’s stand, Polish comics from Timof Comics publishing house will be available for purchase, along with foreign translations of Polish creators’ works in French, Dutch, and English.
 B. Kołomycka, Malutki lisek i Wielki Dzik |
 J. Karpowicz, Anubis |
Events programme
06.09.2024 (Friday) – 09:00-18:00
- 11:15-12:15 – Workshop for kids on creating comic books titled ‘The Adventure of the Square-Headed Squirrel’ led by Berenika Kołomycka (Polish, English and French) | Registration
07.09.2024 (Saturday) – 10:00-18:00
- 10:00 and 12:00 – Live drawing – Berenika Kołomycka
- 14:00 and 16:00 – Live drawing – Joanna Karpowicz
+ all-day autograph session at the Polish stand
08.09.2024 (Sunday) – 10:00-18:00
- 10:00 and 12:00 – Live drawing – Joanna Karpowicz
- 14:00 and 16:00 – Live drawing – Berenika Kołomycka
+ all-day autograph session at the Polish stand
Berenika Kołomycka is a comic book author, illustrator, sculptor, and graphic designer. She graduated from the Sculpture Department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Her works have been published in Polish and international magazines, numerous anthologies and school textbooks. She has participated in group exhibitions both in Poland and abroad. She has collaborated with, among others, G. Janusz (‘Wykolejeniec’) and M. Sowa (‘Tej nocy dzika paprotka’). She is a laureate of the Grand Prix of Comic Books at the International Comics and Games Festival in Łódź, Poland, in 2011. Her successful children’s comic series ‘Malutki Lisek i Wielki Dzik’ (Tiny Fox and Great Boar) is her own project published by Egmont. The albums, which address the themes of friendship and complex issues in a simple way, have been translated into English and received numerous awards. In 2021, she and Agata Loth-Ignaciuk released the first comic in the Miki adventure series, titled ‘Mika i Wyjec’ (Mika and the Howler), part of the Dangerous House Monsters series aimed at young readers. The following year, the second part, ‘Mika i Bulgot’ (Mika and the Gurgler),was published, helping children confront what is scary and unknown (published by Druganoga).
Berenika Kołomycka will lead a workshop for children on the first day of the festival titled ‘The Adventure of the Square-Headed Squirrel’. At the stand, visitors are invited to explore an exhibition of her original illustrations and purchase albums, prints, and other artifacts created by her.
Kołomycka, ‘Malutki Lisek i Wielki Dzik’
Joanna Karpowicz is a painter, comic book author, and illustrator. She graduated from the Faculty of Painting at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Her work is based exclusively on traditional painting techniques, with acrylics on canvas and paper being her favorites. She has created several comic albums using painting techniques: ‘Szminka’(written by J. Szyłak, Mandragora, 2003), ‘Jutro będzie futro’ self-written, Atropos Publishing, 2004), ‘Pocztówki z Białegostoku’ (self-written, Centrum im. L. Zamenhof, 2012), ‘Kwaśne jabłko’ (written by J. Szyłak, Timof Comics, 2017), and ‘Anastazja’, parts I and II (written by M. Lankosz, Kultura Gniewu, 2017, 2019). Her works have been published in numerous comic anthologies and magazines, including Polski Komiks Kobiecy, City Stories, Zeszyty Komiksowe, and others. As an illustrator, she has worked for various Polish magazines, such as Wysokie Obcasy, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Zwykłe Życie, and Draft Publishing. She has participated in many group exhibitions, including at MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Museum in Kraków, POLIN Museum, and Arsenał Gallery. Selected solo exhibitions include Artemis Gallery, Kraków: Retro Anubis, 2024, Anubis i yokai, 2022, Late Summer. Anubis in Valencia, 2022, Papiery wartościowe z Anubisem, 2021, Powrót, 2020, Anubis w Podróży, 2019, LA Woman, 2017; Raven Gallery, Kraków: Anubis, 2016; and CK Zamek, Wrocław: I Want to Believe, 2014.
The painting series featuring Anubis is documented in art books published by Timof Comics: ‘Anubis. Thin Places’,2021, and ‘Anubis. Thin Places 2’, 2024. These albums will be available at the Polish Institute’s stand along with prints of original illustrations from both books, accompanied by an exhibition of paintings featuring the mythical character Anubis, specially prepared by the artist for the Brussels festival.
J. Karpowicz, ‘Librairie’ from the series ‘Anubis’, 80×80 cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023
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