Comix Pulse — The Myths of Berlin: A Taxi Journey Through the History of Berlin
Organisers: Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base), Goethe-Institut Hongkong
About the Exhibition
COMIX PULSE is delighted to present ‘The Myths of Berlin: A Taxi Journey Through the History of Berlin’, an exhibition of selected stories from ‘The Myths of Berlin’ by German comic artist and graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist. Known for turning history, place, and lived experience into graphic narratives with a strong sense of atmosphere, Kleist brings a distinctive voice to stories that move between the personal and the historical.
Through the framework of a taxi journey across Berlin, ‘The Myths of Berlin’ traces a city shaped by shifting memories, local legends, and everyday encounters. Presented as printed artworks, these selected chapters offer visitors a new way to experience Kleist’s visual storytelling, while revealing how Berlin’s identity is formed through the stories attached to its streets and places.
About the comics ‘The Myths of Berlin’
‘The Myths of Berlin’ is a comic series that explores Berlin through a sequence of stories grounded in place. Originally published in the Berlin City Magazine ‘Zitty’ from 2013 to 2015, the series was conceived by Michael Groenewald and Lutz Göllner, who invited Reinhard Kleist to develop its narrative framework.
The comics follow taxi driver Ozan as he drives through the city and listens to the stories connected to the places he passes. Each journey opens onto a different aspect of Berlin’s past, allowing the city to appear not as a fixed image, but as something continually shaped by experience, imagination, and memory.
Kleist's approach gives the series a clear rhythm and a strong visual presence. By bringing together the everyday and the historical, 'The Myths of Berlin' turns a city ride into a layered portrait of Berlin itself.
Exhibition's accompanying programme - Panel Discussion
‘From German Graphic Novels to Hong Kong Comics - What's Next?’
(A programme of From Avant-Garde to Historical Knowledge Transfer)
Date & Time: 14.08.2026 (Fri) 19:30-21:00
Venue: Goethe-Institut Hongkong (14/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai)
Speakers:
Ms Kaitlin CHAN - Comic Artist
Ms Ishi TAM - Publisher at City Culture HK Ltd., Comics Editor
Mr Kamshing - Veteran Cultural Practitioner
Host:
Ms Jacqueline TONG - Arts Curator and Promoter
Free of charge; online registration required; first-come, first-served.
Conducted in Cantonese
Graphic novels, mangas, comics, bandes-dessinées, cartoon…no matter what and how you call it, this special medium of storytelling combining images and text is gaining serious literary recognition in Europe, especially Germany. Austrian comics artist Ulli Lust’s winning the prestigious German Non-Fiction Prize 2025 with her graphic novel „Die Frau als Mensch. Am Anfang der Geschichte” (Woman as Human. At the Dawn of History) officially shattered the boundary between “E-Kultur” (serious/high culture) and “U-Kultur” (entertainment/low culture).
While the German graphic novel scene has evolved from a niche market into a widely respected literary field, is the same happening to Hong Kong Comics? In this panel discussion, we are inviting comics artist, publisher, editor and facilitator from Hong Kong to give insight on the distinctiveness and development of the Hong Kong comics scene. They are Kaitlin Chan, comics artist and cultural worker based in Hong Kong, Ishi Tam from City Culture HK Ltd., and Kamshing from ART AND PIECE.
Main Exhibition
‘From Avant-Garde To Historical Knowledge Transfer – Latest Comics & Graphic Novels From Germany’
Date: 31.07.2026 – 20.08.2026
Venue: Goethe-Institut Hongkong (14/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai)
Reference Link: https://www.goethe.de/ins/hon/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27272002
Artist bio
Reinhard KLEIST
German comic artist and graphic novelist
Reinhard Kleist, born in 1970 in Hürth, Cologne, has worked and lived as an illustrator and graphic novel artist in Berlin since 1996. He made his international breakthrough in 2006 with the biographical graphic novel ‘Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness’, which was awarded the renowned Max and Moritz Prize and nominated for both the Eisner and Harvey Awards. With ‘The Boxer’ in 2013, Kleist became the first cartoonist to receive the German Youth Literature Prize. In 2017, Kleist once again tacked one of music’s great storytellers in ‘Nick Cave: Mercy On Me’, which was simultaneously released in many languages. In 2018, Kleist was honoured for his work with the Max and Moritz Prize for Best German-Language Comic Book Artist. His critically acclaimed graphic biography of David Bowie forms two parts: ‘Starman: Bowie’s Stardust Years’ and ‘Low: Bowie’s Berlin Years’.
Speakers bio
Kaitlin CHAN
Kaitlin Chan is a cartoonist and gallery director in Hong Kong. Her work has appeared in ‘The New Yorker’ online, ‘The Economist’, ‘Catapult’, ‘Astra Magazine’, ‘Oprah Daily’, ‘The Margins’, ‘The Offing’, ‘Popula’ and elsewhere. In 2021, she was shortlisted for the Cartoonist Studio Prize in Webcomics. She self-published her first graphic novel, ‘Eric’s Sister’, a 2024 finalist for the Cartoonist Studio Prize.
Ishi TAM
Ishi Tam studied Japanese language and culture at university. After graduation, she worked as a manga editor at Firedog Studio, where she primarily responsible for the monthly comics magazine ‘SpeedUP’. She later worked as Assistant General Manager in the International Department of Jade Dynasty Group Ltd., working closely with overseas publishers as well as handling comics publishing rights. She then joined Jonesky Ltd., where she was in charge of the monthly comics magazine ‘Comic Fans’. In 2020, she founded City Culture HK Ltd., leveraging her past experience to continue her publishing work focusing on both local original works and imported overseas titles.
Kamshing
Kamshing, veteran cultural practitioner and writer. A Graduate of the Department of Communication Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, Kamshing has been deeply involved in Hong Kong’s cultural and publishing industry for over 30 years. In his early career, he worked as a reporter for the comics section and is a highly seasoned supporter of Hong Kong comics. In 2020, during the pandemic, he founded the bi-monthly magazine ‘ART AND PIECE’, focusing on fine art and design. In recent years, he has been actively promoting Hong Kong comics culture by for example revitalising ‘My Boy’ and reissuing Chi-tak Li’s classic work ‘Assassin’.
Contact us
Facebook: hkacchb | HongKongArtsCentre
Instagram: @comixhomebase | @hongkongartscentre
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About Comix Pulse
We are thrilled to announce that the Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base) is now hosting the ‘Comix Pulse – Feel the Heartbeat of Tomorrow’s Comix’ from January 2026! Comix Pulse aims to spotlight the unique voices of emerging and existing comic and illustration book artists in Hong Kong. The programme provides a platform for artists to explore storytelling through visual narratives, culminating in a solo exhibition that showcases their creative process and final work. We are excited for all talented comic-illustration-artists in joining us. They will have the opportunity to present a solo exhibition of your works in the 2/F Comix Home Base of the Hong Kong Arts Centre and participate in public engagement activities (e.g., artist talks, workshops, live drawing). This is a fantastic opportunity to demystify your creative process and build meaningful connections between artists and the public.
For more information, visit here
About Hong Kong Arts Centre
Hong Kong Arts Centre - 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 for more than four decades, the HKAC endeavours to bring arts to the people of Hong Kong by presenting programmes in diverse art disciplines, such as visual arts, performing arts, moving images, media arts, comics, animation, arts education, lecture forum, public art, art festival and community art. With the vision of inspiring creativity in the local and international art community. With a vision of inspiring creativity in the local and international art community, HKAC focuses on four strategic areas: Leading Art Programmes, Nurturing Future Generations, Fostering Exceptional Art Education and Developing a Multi-Functional Building for Art in Wan Chai to create versatile exhibition spaces that accommodate a diversity of art forms and styles.
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.
Official website: hkac.org.hk | Facebook: Hong Kong Arts Centre | Instagram: @hongkongartscentre
Comix Home Base
Comics and animation are important local pop culture and artistic creations. Hong Kong Arts Centre (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), and has been working closely with comics artists, animators, industry practitioners and various government departments to promote local works. Over 800 ani-com-related events are hosted, such as exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances, publications, screenings, public arts, etc.
In recent years, Comix Home Base has continued to proactively orchestrate cross-media collaborations and look for crossovers between comics and different media like public art, movie, dance, intangible cultural heritage, martial arts etc., expanding the creative space for comix. Outside Hong Kong, China, the footprints of Comix Home Base can be found overseas in France, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, Russia, Indonesia and Portugal etc. This has facilitated the involvement of numerous Hong Kong comics artists in international collaboration projects. Also, local comics have been successfully published in different foreign versions in European countries and the United States, increasing the international recognition of local comics and animation artists.
Comix Home Base is fully committed to creating a platform for the art of Hong Kong anime and comics to flourish and keep elevating comics that are 'made in Hong Kong' to the global stage with stakeholders.
Official website: www.comixhomebase.com.hk | Facebook: hkacchb | Instagram: @comixhomebase
Goethe-Institut
As a cultural institution of the Federal Republic of Germany, we promote cultural exchange, education and societal discourse in an international context, and support the teaching and learning of the German language. Together with our partners, we focus on global opportunities and challenges, bringing different perspectives into a dialogue based on trust. We regard the ability to listen and to reflect as the key to understanding. We are bound by principles of transparency, diversity and sustainability. These principles characterise our services and our way of working.
