(VOVworld) – An exhibition entitled “Comics, Manga and Co – The New German Comic Culture” is underway in the Goethe Institute, Hanoi, as part of cultural activities to mark “European Days in Vietnam”. The exhibition brings back a new look of German comics.

Readers will be able to view 55 different comics, manga, and graphic novels by 13 German artists, all specially selected for this exhibition. All of the artists are skilled amateurs. Almuth Meyer Zollitsch, Director of the Goethe Institute, says: “We began to prepare for the exhibition 3 years ago with the aim of popularizing the German comic culture. We selected 13 German artists with different styles and titles to introduce”.

Artists from two generations will present vivid works with vibrant illustrations, helping readers to look at the world from a new perspective. Although difference in their styles, all 13 artists try their best to infuse a new spirit into the languages of comic-art through pictures and heightened comic expression based on computer graphics, painting, and illustration. Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Thành Phong, who received major prizes at the Spanish Espai Cromatic Exhibition and Bucheon International Comics Festival, said: "German artists’ styles are quite diverse. Moreover, they incorporate traditional techniques or fake traditional techniques in their comic styles. I think this is an interesting thing in the context of the increasing popularity of computer-designed comics. Artists from Germany have their own unique style compared with ones from Japan, China, and Korea”.

Watching works at the exhibition, visitors can discover the world of German graphic art. All expressed in a funny story about a rabbit, a mocking version of a famous character, or sharp lines sketching an invisible pain through black and white color, or a silent portrait, filled with emotion. The exhibition reminds you of romantic memories, times of pleasure, or can be simply meditative. Young Vietnamese artist Nguyen Ngoc Quan says: “This exhibition is quite interesting because of its particular characteristics, which are unlike those of other comics in Vietnam’s market. These comics are philosophical with deep stories which people may need time to reflect on. They are quite different from our comics in Vietnam”.

German artist Line Hoven (Photo: designs.vn)

Pictures of historical or fictional stories are painted on computers or on to paper, sometimes using materials like lead or coal to express the artists’ talent. Their works hope to awaken public interest in important issues in contemporary life. Line Hoven, one of the 13 German artists, says: “Through the exhibition, we want to illustrate the diversity and popularity of German comic form and content that we, as artists and writers, are interested in”.  

The German comic exhibition is an opportunity for comic lovers to exchange. Nguyen Quang Huy from Hanoi University of Fine Arts says: “This is my first time I attend the German comic exhibition. I’m impressive with some works that are closely with Japan’s manga, but still maintaining their own styles. Nationalism is expressed in colors and pictures. We can see the oriental style in works influenced by manga style. In German comics, nationalism is used skillfully, but a little bit for Vietnamese comics”.