Introducing the World of German Comics: Exhibition and Workshop
A Manga Event Celebrating 150 Years of German-Japanese Friendship
To celebrate 150 years of German-Japanese Friendship, the Kyoto International Manga Museum and the Goethe Institute have co-organized the following manga event.
This manga event consists of two parts, one is an exhibition, "13 German Comic Artists -From alternative comics to manga", and the other a workshop called "Nichimandoku". During the exhibition, we will exhibit the works of 13 German comic artists that have risen to fame in recent years, and during the workshop, two German comic artists and a Japanese manga artist will create a manga together. Moreover, since this workshop is open to the public, one participant will have the chance to work with the creators on their manga.
Although Germany historically has a rich comics culture, comics appreciation is very recent. This exhibition is the World Tour Kyoto Exhibition, and has toured Goethe Institutes around the world since the summer of 2010; at the same time, the exhibition and workshop are also memorable because it is the first time these events, focusing on German comics, have been held in Japan.
Exhibition
13 German comic artists--From alternative comics to manga
| Period | September 10 - * extended * In response to the many requests from fans, the duration of the exhibition has been extended longer than originally planned! 10 am - 6 pm (Admission until 5:30 pm) Closed on Wednesdays, 10/9(Sun.) |
| Venue | Kyoto International Manga Museum, 2nd Floor, Gallery 4 |
| Admission fee | Free * However, a General Admission ticket to the Museum is required. |
| Exhibit | The works of 13 German comics artists, accompanied by Japanese and English translations. |
Organizers: Kyoto International Manga Museum
Workshop
For reference: What is "Nichimandoku"
The term is a Japanese anagram made up of the words Nichi = Japan, man = manga, and doku = Germany. The project started in January of 2011, and involved a Japanese manga artist and a German comic artist (Mr. Schwieger from January to May, Ms. Plaka from June to September) communicating by means of manga, thinking about the two countries' cultural image, and exploring what is known and what isn't known about the 150 year old friendly relationship between and Japan and Germany. Over a period of six months, once a week one of them draws something the other draws a response to the next week. They don't know in advance what the other will draw, and only have what the other artist uploads onto the site to go on to draw their response
Nichimandoku
| Date and Time | October 2, 2011 1 pm - 5:30pm (Scheduled) |
| Venue | Kyoto International Manga Museum, 2nd floor, Gallery 6 |
| Admission fee | Free * However, a General Admission ticket to the Museum is required. |
| Content | Two German comics artists, Dirk Schwieger and Christina Plaka, and a Japanese manga artist, Matsuoka Waka, will talk about the works they have created for Nichimandoku so far. After that, one selected participant will be able to work with them on a manga. |
| Capacity | 20 |
| Participation |
Registration is required only for the 3rd part. You need NOT register for the 1st and 2nd parts. 2. fax it to 075-254-7424 Please fill out 1. Your name 2. Gender, 3. Age, 4. Contact address (e-mail or phone number), and write "Participation in Nichimandoku Workshop". |
Schedule (Subject to change)
| Part 1 | 1pm-2pm Gallery talk on "13 German Comic Artists Exhibition" with three artists. |
| Part 2 | 2pm-3:30pm "Round-table discussion: Nichimandoku cross-cultural comparison" Coordinator/Interpretor: Jaqueline Berndt. |
| Part 3 | 3:45pm-5:30pm Open workshop: A workshop in which the three artists from Part 1 and one participant from the audience create a comic together. |
Parts 1 & 2 are conducted in Japanese and German. During Part 3, English will be used as well when necessary.
| Organization | |||
Kyoto International Manga Museum |
Goethe Institute |
German Embassy in Tokyo |
German Industry and Trade Chamber |
| Support｜Diamant｜ | |||||
BASF Japan Ltd. |
Bayer Holding Ltd. |
LANXESS |
Lufthansa |
MERCK |
Volkswagen |
| Support｜Platinum｜ | |||||
Allianz |
Shangri-La Hotel, TOKYO |
STIHL CO., LTD. |
 |
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| Support｜Gold｜ | |||
COMMERZBANK |
FISSLER JAPAN Ltd. |
Ikon Europubs |
Karcher Japan |
KPMG Japan |
Wilkhahn Japan Co.,Ltd. |
TUV Rheinland  |
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Dirk Schwieger
Born in 1978 in Frankfurt, he now lives in Berlin. He majored in art at Berlin University of the Arts. From to 2005 to 2006, during his yearlong stay in Tokyo, he drew a comic blog, and it was published in German in 2007, and in English in 2008. Some of his comics were published on Tokyo FM's "Daily Planet" website in 2008 and 2009.
Matsuoka Waka
She studied manga at Kyoto Seika University until 2010. In 2009, the magazine The Margaret published her debut manga "Kimi to no koi no hajimekata" (How to start love with you). Later she published more works, like "Aida san ke no sumairu DAYS" (Smile Days at the Aida Family). She teaches how to draw manga at college, and also draws manga for and about companies, pamphlets and illustrations.
May 23, 2011 uploaded work
(c) 松岡和佳
Christina Plaka
Born in 1983 in Offenbach. She graduated from Frankfurt University in 2010, and is now a graduate student at the Faculty of Manga at Kyoto Seika University. She is the first female comics artist in Germany to use the manga style. In 2003 she made her professional debut, and since then she has published eight single volumes.
June 6, 2011 uploaded work
(c) Christina Plaka
