'The Power of Visual Storytelling' Galina MIKLÍNOVÁ – Artist Talk and Live Drawing Demonstration - HKAC (2024)

Galina Miklínová is an illustrator and animation director of Czech children's books. Born in 1970, she graduated from the Academy of Art, Architecture, and Design in Prague.

She has illustrated over fifty books, which have been published worldwide. Galina Miklínová showcases her sense of humour through delightful and mischievous characters. Her art style is dynamic and modern, rooted in contemporary fairy tales, perfectly capturing the essence of each character. She considers fantasy and fun as essential elements of the children's world, while drawing traditional values from the adult world, replacing lies and hatred with truth and love.

She collaborates with leading Czech writers such as Petr Stančík (H2O series), Alena Mornštajnová (Strašidylko Stráša), Eva Papoušková (Cílovníci, series Vombat Jirka, Kosprd a Telecí, Sára Kalamita) and Marka Míková (Kabát a kabelka). She had a seamless collaboration with poet and writer Pavlo Šrut (1940-2018), resulting in the creation of over ten books together. Their trilogy The Oddsockeaters has received numerous accolades, including the Book of the Decade in the Magnesia Litera Competition and the Most Beautiful Book of 2008. The series has been translated into over twenty languages and has sold approximately 170,000 copies in the Czech version alone. In 2016, it was adapted into an animated film. The synergy between the two creators has left a touching imprint on modern children's literature.

Galina has also produced three evening animated series programmes for Czech television, titled O Kanafásko. Additionally, she has created numerous short films and commercial jingles for both adult and children audiences.

Website: galinamiklinova.cz | Facebook: Galina Miklínová | Instagram: @galinamiklinova

Flyingpig is an illustrator and educator who graduated with a Master's degree in Illustration from the Royal College of Art in 2021. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Academy of Visual Art, Hong Kong Baptist University (BUAVA). She has previously worked as a lecturer in (BA)Illustration Animation at Kingston School of Art and has been a guest lecturer at the Royal College of Art. Her work specialises in portraying narratives within communities while connecting to the themes such as architecture, technology, memory and identity.

Her notable works include the published book The Scenery of Old Shops in 2016, an illustration book celebrating the owners and workers in the local traditional small businesses, and Once Upon a Time in Tai Kwun (2018), a collection of 100 oral narratives shared by the old neighbours in Central, which explores the history of the Central Police Station compound and the myriad intricate relationships cultivated in the neighbourhood.

Her creative contributions extend beyond publications. She has collaborated with institutions such as Tai Kwun, M+ Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the West Kowloon Cultural District. She has also created artworks for brands such as West Kowloon Cultural District, Standard Chartered Bank, Porsche, and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Her works are now collected by the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Additionally, Flyingpig's recent research project, "Barter Archive," received the Varley Memorable Award in 2020 and was funded by the Arts Council England and Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2021. The project is collaborates with the Royal College of Art, Camberwell University of Arts, and curators from the Tate Archive and the Whitechapel Gallery. The Museum of London, where Wong works as a researcher in 2022, collects this project, which also garners media coverage in outlets such as The Guardian, The World of Interiors, It's Nice That, The Londonist, and the South China Morning Post.

Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All

Since 1977, the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) has been a platform for nurturing and supporting artists, and infusing art into everyday life. Its unique arts and educational programmes aim to make the arts accessible for all. The HKAC believes in the transformational power of art for people from all walks of life. Established more than four decades ago, the HKAC brings art to the people of Hong Kong – by presenting programmes for visual arts, performing arts, moving images and media arts, comics and animation. Other areas also cover arts education, conferences, festivals, public art and community projects, all done with the vision and mission of engaging and inspiring creativity in the Hong Kong community.

In 2000, HKAC founded its educational arm, Hong Kong Art School (HKAS). The HKAS provides award-bearing programmes to nurture artists and art practitioners, as well as short enrichment courses for the general public. The HKAC aspires to engage everyone in the community to become an active participant in the arts – as an enthusiast, an artist or a patron.

Let's continue to embrace ‘Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All’, and share the inspiration.

Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) believes that comics and animation are important local pop culture and artistic creations. HKAC has been dedicated to planning and organising diverse and unique activities to promote the arts and culture of comics and animation to the local community and abroad.

Since 2006, HKAC curated Comix Home Base project (CHB), hosted over 700 ani-com-related events, such as exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances, publications, screenings, public arts, etc. Outside Hong Kong, the footprints of Hong Kong comics can be found overseas in France, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Singapore, Mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, etc. Through the uniquely planned programmes, several Hong Kong comics artists have got chances to initiate international collaborations in publishing their comics in foreign languages in Europe. These all make an impact on the international comics scene and help to raise the profile of Hong Kong comics internationally.

HKAC (CHB) continues to proactively look for opportunities to promote Hong Kong's diverse comics and animation arts, with the aim of increasing international recognition and awareness of Hong Kong’s comics artists and their unique works.